FW: Use your Brain

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Use your Brain

Quick test: True or false. Puzzles and games are used as mental stimulation

to prevent and repair memory loss.

Answer: True.

Just ask gerontologist Sharmone LaRose, a certified memory impairment

specialist who is the department chairwoman for the Older Adult Program at

Torrance

Adult School.

In her memory fitness classes, LaRose covers techniques to improve

short-term and long-term memory and keep the brain healthy.

The key, she said, is to keep the mind stimulated and to learn new things.

Dr. Black, the chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, agrees.

" Like a muscle, the brain needs to remain active, so continuing to challenge

the brain is a very key component to maintaining a healthy brain,

particularly

as we get older, " Black said.

" Puzzles and games are very good, " he said. " But more importantly, if you've

been doing puzzles all your life, try something entirely different. It's the

challenge to learn a new task which has been shown to be very critical. "

One game LaRose has her students play is the board game Reminiscing, in

which a player spins a wheel to identify an era between 1940 and 2000. The

player

must then answer a question about the era the wheel lands on.

LaRose says pulling information from the past like this helps stimulate

long-term memory. As a bonus, games such as Reminiscing also promote social

interaction.

" If

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you become socially isolated and have no interaction with others, you begin

to digress mentally as well as physically, " LaRose said.

" You begin to kind of get lost in your own thought and you just retreat, and

that's a big problem for anyone - but especially as we age, and many people

find themselves in that predicament if they're no longer physically capable

of getting out. So that's important to stay socially engaged - the research

shows that. "

There are numerous other ways to keep the mind sharp as well. Research shows

that physical exercise can help maintain cell regeneration in the brain,

Black

said.

LaRose adds that cardiovascular exercise oxygenates the whole body and

brings the endorphins up, which benefits brain function.

Like exercise, other aspects of a healthy lifestyle are found to help brain

health.

" All the things that we know to be of practical use - limiting our alcohol

intake is key and maintaining a good healthy diet is very key, " Black said.

" Some of the things we are beginning to look at now are things like DHA,

which is a component of fish oil which has been shown to be very helpful in

promoting

brain health as well. So these are all things we know to do that we don't

do, but studies are showing more and more how critical these things are to

preventing

dysfunction as we get older. "

DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid, is an omega-3 fatty acid. Other good sources

of omega-3 are olive oil, flaxseed oil and nuts.

Antioxidants found in foods such as blueberries, acai berries and

green-leafed vegetables also are important, LaRose said, while Black

recommends pomegranate,

grape juice and grapes. The skin of the grape, he said, contains compounds

that are good for the brain.

But more research is being done on how diet affects brain function.

" The other thing that we are beginning to investigate is the role of

turmeric acid, or curry sauce, that's very high in Asian, Indian diets, "

Black said.

" It turns out that Asians and Indians have a much lower incidence of

Alzheimer's disease and we believe it may have something to do with their

high intake

of curry sauce. "

Aside from diet, LaRose and Black recommend minimizing stress because it

alters the immune system. A strong immune system helps maintain a healthy

brain

by supporting nerve cells and nerve-cell regeneration.

Additionally, meditation has been found to be especially helpful for the

brain's frontal lobe, while partaking in creative activities nourishes the

right

side of the brain, LaRose said.

But even if people live the lifestyle recommended by LaRose and Black, there

is no guarantee they won't develop some form of dementia or be diagnosed

with

Alzheimer's.

" We know that like any disease, with Alzheimer's there's a genetic component

and there's an environmental component and for some people the genetic

component

is very strong and for others the environmental component is very strong, "

Black said.

" It's my gut impression that for a certain percentage of people who would

ultimately come down with Alzheimer's disease, if they do things to alter

their

lifestyle then, yes, I think they would ultimately either delay or totally

prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease. But we don't have conclusive

studies

to prove that. "

Being able to tell the difference between routine memory loss due to aging

and a serious problem such as dementia is also important.

The Alzheimer's Association has 10 warning signs of a more severe condition:

.. Memory loss that disrupts daily life.

.. Challenges in planning or solving problems.

.. Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure.

.. Confusion with time or place.

.. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships.

.. New problems with words in speaking or writing.

.. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps.

.. Decreased or poor judgment.

.. Withdrawal from work or social activities.

.. Changes in mood and personality.

Researchers are trying to find an accurate test to diagnose Alzheimer's

disease versus other forms of dementia. Currently, doctors and psychiatrists

use

memory or cognitive tests to help determine the diagnosis, Black said.

But in terms of preventing brain dysfunction, the one thing Black says he is

sure about is that it's never too early - or too late - to start leading a

lifestyle conducive to brain health.

" The way to think of it is just like heart disease, " Black said. " So we know

that you're more prone to get a heart attack when you're 60 years old or

when

you're 50 years old, but the hardening of arteries - the arteriosclerosis -

actually begins in your late 20s and 30s. So the earlier you start, the

better,

but it's never too late. "

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Brain Games

What: A class designed to improve memory by stimulating the mind through

games and activities.

When: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Tuesdays until July 12.

Where: Torrance Memorial Medical Center, 3330 Lomita Blvd.

Cost: $40; $35 for Advantage Health members and Torrance Memorial employees

and volunteers.

Registration: