Mandatory Synthesis

The article was written based on a study conducted by Smith J., et al. The article describes how the hippocampus deterioration leads to Alzheimer’s – the disease usually targets the memory of the individual, a function of the hippocampus. Physical activity has been shown to preserve the hippocampus, therefore preserving the memory of the individual. If individuals at high risk of developing Alzheimer’s (individuals that carry the genetic marker, ApoE4, for Alzheimer’s) participate in physical exercise, they can lower their risk of developing the disease. Additionally, the article provided viewers with the information about the sample, method and the results. There were 4 groups of participants who were older adults with normal cognitive functioning, aged 65-89. The groups were classified by low/high Alzheimer’s risk and low/high physical activity rates. The sample’s hippocampus and physical activity levels were tracked over the course of 18 months. Furthermore, Science Daily provided an interview with one of the authors, Smith J. and a professor at University of Pittsburgh. The interviews gave insight into the mind of the author, lending a better perspective on the article and providing direct information to

A study conducted by Harvard Medical School regarding on how could exercise help your brain and what kind of exercise will help your brain to have a better result. In this article, we learn that exercises can help your brain and can also help your memory. The researchers examined different people to try to understand what exercises could help your brain using 30 minutes section. In this study, the researchers randomly evaluate people doing exercises like cardio and compared their memory and their productivity with those that didn’t any type of exercises.

The two essays that I choose for the synthesis essay are Parkinson’s Alley by Joy Horowitz and The Environmental Issue from Hell: Global Warming Is the Great Moral Crisis of Our Time by Bill Mckibben. Parkinson’s Alley is about residents in California’s Central Valley town of Visalia who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. This part of California has the highest number of people diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease. The pesticides that are used in the surrounding farms seeps into the water that the residents use every day, causing them to get the disease. The Environmental Issue from Hell: Global Warming Is the Great Moral Crisis of Our Time is about how global warming is a moral crisis that, if not combated

Participation in physical activity has been shown to have many health benefits for older adults; this study does not provide strong support that it protects against cognitive decline. Reports have been made that physical activity may help guard against stroke and coronary heart disease, both of which may be associated with the development of dementia. Some studies were either limited in their scope or had short follow-up times. In all they find that for older adults, physical activity alone may not protect against cognitive decline. (By Charnicia E. Huggins: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/exerciseforseniors.html)

Lifestyle changes to help prevent AD, according to The Alzheimer’s Prevention Foundation International include ‘four pillars of building a better memory”; diet and vitamins, stress management, exercise and pharmaceutical drugs. Diet and vitamins: the brain requires nutrition, blood flow and energy that comes from a diet that is moderate in calories, high in good fats and clean proteins. Stress management: reducing depression and improving your ability to deal with stressful situations. Exercise: mental and physical exercise is essential for brain health. Effective workouts include brisk walking, swimming, and Tai chi mental exercise such as visiting museums, crossword puzzles, reading, taking educational classes, and socializing with friend’s arte all excellent ways to keep your brain in shape. Pharmaceutical drugs: medications such as Aricept, Exelon, Reminyl, and Namenda, taken with the supervision of a physician, can play an important role in delaying the progression of mild memory loss due to Alzheimer’s disease. Natural hormone replacement

Research has proven that physical activity improves cognitive function and can also improve brain function throughout a lifespan. Moreover, staying physically active has so many benefits as well. For example, doing exercise and fitness activities help build cells and natural pathways to help reduce changes in memory loss or dementia. Also, it has so many health benefits including long-term improvements to the cognitive function as the young adult reaching mid

Cavanaugh and Blanchard-Fields (2015) state that there is research showing how brain plasticity can be enhanced through aerobic exercise (p.51). It is important that adults be active in their lives. A 30-minute walk or some type of physical activity will benefit them as the age. The text mentions a study done by Erickson and his colleagues in 2009 where they studied the effect of aerobic exercise on the hippocampus. They found that due to aerobic exercise it produced greater volume in the hippocampus. This is significant because the hippocampus is the part of the brain that is responsible for memory, emotions, and spatial functioning. The body does not only need physical activities to produce healthier cognitive functioning but also nutrients. The text identifies three nutrient biomarker patterns that are significant on the aging brain. These nutrients are vitamin B, C,D, and E, omega-3, and trans fat. the foods that belong to these nutrients are beneficial to the brain. Older adults should make an effort to include these nutrients into their diets. positive impacts these nutrients make are better cognitive functioning and greater brain

Vitamins A,B,C,D,E,K are very important in maintaining a healthy mental lifestyle, and some major foods that contain these vitamins are carrots, meat, citrus fruits, seafood, almonds, and leafy greens. Some main beneficial foods I learned more about, were dark chocolate and avocado. Dark chocolate improves mood and energy by releasing endorphins and helps the health of the brain with magnesium. Avocados have many good fats, counteracting the claim that they are negatively too fatty. They also contain potassium and folate which both lead to better brain health and function.

Alzheimer’s disease is a disease of the brain. This disease deteriorates parts of the brain and causes memory loss. Alzheimer’s disease is thought to be a disease that only older individuals develop. Forgetting can be a terrifying event in a person’s life, not to mention the life of an older individual who probably already has other health issues to worry about. This disease is not curable; however, it can be treated to a certain extent. Basically, all the treatment does is try to delay the deteriorating process from occurring so fast. Certain imagery devices are used to diagnose a person with Alzheimer’s disease. So far, the best way to prevent someone from developing this disease is to keep his or her mind stimulated and to exercise regularly.

This article is about the prevention of the Alzheimer’s risk. Alzheimer disease is also called senile dementia. It is a disease where people lost their memories. This research was done at UCLA Medical Center and University of Pittsburgh. The researchers gathered the participants to do experiment on whether the physical activities benefits to reduce the Alzheimer’s risk. According to the article, the outcome of the experiment showed that increase in physical activities related with larger brain volumes. “Individuals experiencing this brain benefit from increasing their physical activity experienced a 50% reduction in their risk of Alzheimer's dementia.” The researchers actually prove that if you increase your physical activity, then there is

Scientists found that individuals who kept their brains lively had decreased levels of this protein. Older people with the highest level of brain activity had protein levels equal to those of young people. Those with the lowest levels of brain activity had levels equivalent with Alzheimer’s patients. “Individuals with high cognitive engagement may prevent or slow the deposition of the protein fragments, which influences the progression of Alzheimer’s” (qtd. in Hope). Those who were cognitively active were two times less likely to develop this disease than those who got minimal mental stimulation. Mental stimulation includes games and puzzles such as sudoku which may improve the brain’s ability to remember and retrieve information. Researchers claim that keeping the brain active with reading, writing and crosswords could also help prevent this disease. All learning is based on what is already known, or an association to what is already known. When learning something new, synapses are made which are connections between nerve cells in the brain. Due to this, new synapses are not just being made, but the ones that are already there are being strengthened. Staying busy and socializing with friends and loved ones keep memory sharp by helping maintain the brain’s health and boosting its memory. Mental

There is ample evidence to demonstrate that through the normal ageing process alterations to the brain in structure and function are directly related to cognitive changes (Glisky, 2007). With an increasing ageing population strategies for prevention of disease and age related cognitive decline are necessary to improve quality of life and reduce the associated healthcare costs (Australian Government Productivity Commission [AGPC], 2013). Physical exercise is known to be crucial in maintaining physiological health; it can also be used as a means of neuroprotection and assist in modifiable risk factors for improved brain health and subsequent cognitive function. This review will critically analyse current research into the effects of exercise

The human brain is constantly changing where many new neurons are formed while others neurons die and new synapses are created while other synapses are removed (Spalding et al., 2013). Some dendrites will withdraw while other dendrites continue branching (Killgore et al., 2013). The processes driving the reshaping of the brain are neuroplasticity and neurogenesis. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s lifelong ability to rewire neural connections to compensate for diseases and injuries or in response to changes in the environment, whereas neurogenesis is the ability to create new neurons and neural connections. This dynamic process of remodeling gray matter is determined mainly by a person’s genetics and can slow down due to age (Denes, 2016). However, recent scientific evidence demonstrates other non-genetic factors that can significantly improve the development of the brain and slow down neurodegeneration (Kays et al., 2012). Physical exercise has always been linked to a person’s physical health, but many recent scientific studies shows physical exercise can also keep a person’s brain sharp. Exercise affects the brain in numerous ways by creating a flourishing environment for brain growth, aiding the release of numerous hormones, and fighting against depression, stress, and anxiety.

Cognitive: Since DHA is the most important fat found in the brain, eating food like salmon that is high in this fat will help protect the brain from certain brain-related problems. Eating salmon will also decrease chances of depression and decrease cognitive decline in older people. Also vitamin D support cognitive function, which salmon is high in.

The articles by Erikson et al., Gatz, Korol et al., and Draganski et al. explore the concept of increased physical activity and/or mental activity having effects on the cognitive function and development or deterioration of the brain as we age. Although I agree that physical exercise is critical in increasing cognitive function because of the health benefits it provides, as well as the increased blood flow and circulation throughout the body, I ultimately believe that a healthy brain is not achieved solely by physical exercise or mental exercise, but both. I think there is a link between physical and mental exercise, and that the combination of these two activities creates higher cognitive functioning of the mind as well as the body. The mind and body come together and meet to make an overall healthy individual.