What Is Cognitive Health?

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

In the book Spark, written by Dr. John J. Ratey, he discusses how exercise can positively affect how your brain works. He provides studies and personal experiences to support the claims he makes. I always knew exercise would improve your life but never could have imagined how much it can affect your brain health as well. The chapter I thought spoke the most to me was chapter two, Learning: Grow Your Brain Cells.

The brain is a muscle that has to have continuous exercise to stay keen and quick with speed. People in their later years have a harder time remembering things and have trouble applying simple tasks to their lives because of the damage the brain suffers when not being commonly trained and kept taken care of. This is a major cause in many mental disorders and diseases diagnosed in later years such as alzheimers, as well as its stronger partner, dementia, and depression or anxiety. Studies show that elderly patients showed a much higher percentage of life expectancy for those who gave their brain a daily challenge such as crossword puzzles and daily brain teasers, compared to their counterpart of those who did not focus on opening time to practice using their brain to stay lively and aware. Another major role in keeping the mind young is for the brain to stay social. The ability to interact with people everyday allows the brain to work a great deal of an exercise. The vocal conversations and the audial persistence as well as the movement used when going out and walking around with friends (Healthline Media,

Godman, H. (2016). Regular exercise changes the brain to improve memory, thinking skills. Harvard Health Publications. Retrieved from http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110.

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

Studies have indicated that exercise improves memory and cognition in older adults and we know nutrition at all stages of life has an important role. All of these ways to keep the brain healthy and even improve its health are, in a sense, external. What can the brain do to help itself? At what point in development should it start? This is not a question a parent thinks about for their child when contemplating their welfare. It is not something one thinks about as a child, adolescent, young adult or even mature or senior adult. There are more “important” things to consider than to try speculating on a future so far ahead as to whether a person is going to develop Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or dementia.

“ A new government study estimates that nearly 80 percent of adult Americans do not get the recommended amounts of exercise each week, potentially setting themselves up for years of health problems” (Ryan Jaslow). This states that if people don’t get enough exercise then they are going to have health problems. Getting enough exercise also helps your brain health and memory. “ Exercise can improve brain function and protect memory and thinking skills” ( Arlene Semeco). This proves that exercise is a solution to improve your memory, brain function, and weight loss.

In order to promote neuroplasticity in the brain, our daily lives must include the following: Aerobic exercise, good sleep, good nutrition, relationships, novelty, paying close attention, reflecting inwardly, and laughter (p. 8-8, 8-9). A healthy and happy brain requires all of what was mentioned above. It might be challenging to incorporate all eight aspects into our daily lives, but it is possible and worthwhile, especially knowing the immense benefits that that list has on our brains. It is important to keep in mind that “regularity appears to be the key in habit creation and maintenance, as well as in the promotion of neuroplastic changes” (p. 8-9). In other words, it is possible to adopt the list of eight, as long as we do those things routinely. Exposing ourselves to new and exciting stimuli, and taking time to reflect on our feelings and sensation, can have lasting positive impacts on our brains, which will lead to healthier attitudes and happier

Equally important to the characteristics of a mentally healthy individual, in today’s fast-paced world, is the psychological health of the brain, the genetic, biological and environmental factors that play an integral role in general wellness.

Hi Cierra, you make some really great points in you post! Plasticity is such a vital mechanism as we grow older to keep the brain as youthful as possible. It makes me hopeful that such simple change to my life from eating healthy to exercising can have improve my plasticity and brain health. Great

Research shows that integrating exercise or meditation in one’s life can result in tremendous benefits both physically and mentally, including improving one’s cognitive abilities. Cognition can be defined as the capacity to perceive, retain, and apply information that has been learned through experience or observation (Michelon, 2006). It entails aspects such as memory, perception, visual and spatial processing, attention, motor skills, language, and executive function (Michelon, 2006). Meditation and exercise can boost an individual’s blood hormone levels, which can improve memory, and decrease one’s risk of developing dementia (Bergland, 2014). Learning can also be positively affected as physical exercise maximizes the mind’s capacity to take in information, particularly by increasing the individual’s motivation, attention span,

Last night I attended a lecture at Lamar University about how the brain functions and how to improve it. Dr. Medina, author of Brain Rules, discussed important topics about the brain. In his first segment he discussed how overly stressed brain does not function to its best ability. He said stressed brains do not learn as easily as non-stressed brains. Secondly, he discussed the executive function which is neurologically based cognitive skills and emotional self-regulation. Those with high executive functions will go on to be better leaders, get a higher salary, and have better relationships. The executive function can be tested as early as age four, and the executive function can determine how high one will score on the SAT. Lastly, he discussed

Just like other parts of our body, our brain also needs nutrients. Eating a balanced diet meal is as good to your mental health, as it is to your physical health. Choosing what food to eat to boost brain activity has never been an easy task. However, research has shown that particular foods can help with this.

In recent years brain training games have become a topic of interest among both researchers and common people alike. Researchers are interested in the healing properties of brain training while normal people are looking to brain training as a way to improve their performance and get a leg up on the competition in school, work, and life. Up until recently, it was believed that the brain was unchangeable in terms of memory capacity. Researchers were well aware of the fact that the brain can change and form new connections when brain damage occurs. However, the idea that humans can train their brains to be more efficient and stronger seemed like a far-fetched cry from reality up until the late 1990’s (Weicker, Villringer & Thöne-Otto, 2016). As time went on and more research was conducted in the field of brain training, it became clear that brain training is not an exact science but, it does have real cognitive benefits.

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.