Your doctor has advised you on how to preserve your memory into old age; it’s much easier than you think

Kęstutis Skauminas, associate professor at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Academy of Medicine, head of the molecular neuroncology laboratory at the Institute of Neuroscience, a doctor and neurosurgeon, told the “Ekspertai pataria” radio news program that the information on the human nervous system has increased significantly over the last decade. However, we are far from understanding and knowing everything about the brain.

As the doctor said, the sciences that study the brain are called neurosciences. His list also includes mathematics, physics, biomedicine, and psychology. In brain research, the research objects are the most diverse: from cells, genes to human behavior, physiology.

“All these sciences provide a lot of new information, but we still don’t know much. We don’t know what consciousness is, we don’t know much about the mechanisms of attention and memory. We don’t deal with brain cancer stem cells, we don’t understand a lot about the molecular mechanisms that cause diseases like Alzheimer’s. There are many questions, “said Assoc. K. Skauminas.

Both the European Union and the United States are, according to the doctor, leaders in this field and are investing enormous resources in brain research. Therefore, there are many new discoveries.

“I will mention a simple example in the field of neurorobotics. It is not news that when a person loses a limb, such as a leg above the knee joint, an intelligent prosthesis can be applied that is capable of transmitting impulses from the motor cortex of the brain to the same prosthesis and the person can control it with your brain. This is not news.

However, it turns out that there is a problem that, in such cases, the person subjectively feels that the prosthesis is heavier than it actually is. The reality is that the prosthesis is several times lighter than the patient’s leg, although the patient feels different. What did the scientists do? He inserted the sensor into the prosthetic sole and the artificial joint. Now it is possible for a person to not only control the mechanical foot, but also feel it, ”shared the associate professor new scientific achievements.

So if a person with such a prosthesis climbs on a pebble, they feel that they are pushing the prosthesis.

Why does the brain not work so well in old age?

As the doctor told Knowledge Radio, everything happens due to the aging process, which depends on both genes and the various factors that affect them.

Factors that are present in the body and affect how genes work are called epigenetic factors. Environmental factors also play a role.

Doc. K. Skaumin explains: For a cell to survive, the information in its nucleus must be scanned to produce corresponding proteins. However, there is a limited number given by nature as to how many times such information can be scanned. The cell naturally begins to age and die simply because the number of repeats ends. More other processes are taking place. The mitochondria in the cell lose their function, the connections between cells are lost, and the potential of the stem cells we naturally have is diminished.

Contributes to the deterioration of blood circulation and prolongs the reaction time and begins attention, memory disorders.

Communication, recreation, and games can help

Recently, according to the Knowledge Radio interlocutor, there are several key factors that contribute to healthy aging.

“Let’s start with the fact that the brain needs to work. It’s mindfulness, any mental activity that needs accumulated attention, ”Assoc said. K. Skauminas.

Another thing is movement. The brain needs the body to move. At least 3 times a week after 30 or 60 minutes of active physical activity is one of the factors that reduces the risk of dementia in Alzheimer’s in old age.

Sociality and communication are also very important to the brain. The problem, however, is that older people communicate less and less because they have fewer opportunities and opportunities to do so.

One of the factors that can prolong the functioning of the brain is games. It turns out that a variety of games, including board games, especially those that involve more than one person, bring huge benefits to the brain.

Let’s not forget that rest is very important. Our creativity, new ideas are closely related to relaxation, the ability to rest without any prior plan. The way we did when we were kids when we ran out into the yard, we didn’t know what to do there, but we reacted to the environment.

Another important factor for the brain is sleep. And it’s not just about a night’s rest, which is crucial for brain recovery and memory mechanisms. Falling asleep in the second half of the day also helps the brain recover.

But the timing of the duration of a southern dream is very important.

“Studies have been conducted comparing 5, 10, 20 and 30 minutes of sleep. It turns out that the most effective is a 10-minute nap. 5 minutes is too little and 20 or 30 minutes is too long, because a person who wakes up immediately cannot perform mental actions yet ”, advises the doc. K. Skauminas.

Without a doubt, diet is also related to brain activity. A special diet has also been found to improve brain function. You need to eat high-fiber foods and whole grains every day, and green vegetables should be eaten at least 6 times a week. Other colored vegetables: at least 2 times a week. Also don’t forget the nuts and beans. Red meat should be reduced weekly; consume it no more than 4 times a week. And fish should be eaten at least once a week.

There are also things to avoid. For example, too much fat is not recommended to consume more than a tablespoon of butter a day. It is recommended to use only olive oil for cooking.

It is important to convince the brain that it needs to learn

People try many ways to train their brain. For example, some travel specifically to work in different ways, so there is no other option and you have to think. Is this the correct way to train them?

“It just came to our notice then. The brain needs to receive more and more information. Often when we go to work, we already know where to rearrange, where the pits will be, and where the traffic is stuck, and we can do some actions without thinking. But for the brain to change, we need concentration. The new route requires it. Without conscious attention, there may be no brain plasticity. The new things we learn are very healthy. It can be a language, a game, or something we don’t know yet ” said Doc K. Skauminas.

Learning, according to the doctor, is a process that requires energy. The brain does not want to learn because it is only responsible for keeping us alive. It’s true that learning sometimes helps you stay alive, but it requires motivation.

“It just came to our knowledge then. New things do that, curiosity makes you pay attention, promotes neuroplasticity and helps you stay conscious into old age. The brain tends to save energy and needs to be convinced that what you are going to doing is beneficial. You must answer yourself the question, what is the meaning of this learning? The brain needs to know the answer, “advised the neurosurgeon.

Older people often lack motivation because they can’t find the answer to what they need to learn, like a new language. Unfortunately, even in your youth, motivation quickly wears off when you don’t know who you will need in life.

“The next question is, what is the essence of that information? Short and clear. Only then do the mechanisms that help to focus consciously for a long time are activated,” said the doctor.

What if you never educated yourself and learned, but in old age you thought you needed to train your brain? Will it still work?

“The answer is unequivocal: yes, it is never too late to take care of your memory and improve your thinking skills. The processes we call neuroplasticity have been shown to last into old age. This is the good news for all of us that we can change our brains until we reach old age, ”Assoc said. K. Skauminas.

The neurosurgeon was also asked if it was possible for artificial intelligence to become more intelligent than the human brain.

“You have to bear in mind that artificial intelligence and its creators are very advanced. There were times when we thought of artificial intelligence as man-made programs that run algorithms. Now that deep learning exists, artificial intelligence can learn from its own experiences. It is no longer necessary for a programmer to program what to do and think. When evaluating the acceleration of how machines are learning taking place, certainly a person with their ability to process information can be left behind.

I always look closely at the development of artificial intelligence as a tool for me. Once upon a time, we invented the stick and lost the physical abilities we had. After that, we invented fire and started treating food with heat, it can be said that we lost our teeth because our teeth are no longer like wild beasts. So, I always ask myself, what will happen when we create an artificial mind, what will we lose then? “Said the radio interlocutor.