Your brain… Size does matter!

The conventional belief has been that as we get older, the size of the brain shrinks or atrophies. This has been debunked to a great degree since a 2009 Dutch study at the University of Maastrich.

The researchers looked at the cognitive ability of two groups of people–average age: 69 years. The one group of participants were found to be healthy in their mental capacities while the second group was found to have substantial cognitive decline.

The participants were also given MRI scans measuring seven different parts of the brain.

Behavioural data was studied from 1994 to 2005, with scans taken between 1997 and 1999. The cognitive decline was measured by drops of at least 30 percent on two or more of six core tests. These involved verbal learning and fluency, recall, processing speed, and complex information processing, as a screening tool for dementia.

In contrast to the 35 people who stayed healthy, the 30 people who declined cognitively over eleven years showed a significant deterioration in certain areas of the brain. In short, among the people whose cognition got worse, older participants had smaller brain areas than younger participants. The healthy group did not have a significant loss in brain size.

So what was believe to be shrinkage of the brain due to ageing, was actually due to a pathological process occurring in the brain. As long as you keep the brain healthy, researchers believe that the grey matter that supports cognition might not shrink much at all.

So how do you keep the brain healthy? Think of that old phrase, “Use it or lose it.”

If you don’t use your muscles, muscle mass diminishes substantially with age. The same is true for the brain. The following are the key factors for keeping your brain size at its optimum:

•       Be physically active

•       Challenge yourself with difficult mental tasks

•       “Feed” your brain with a well-balanced diet

•       Minimize toxins such as alcohol––yes it is a toxin––drugs, tobacco, etc.

•       Engage in regular sexual activity––it’s good for your brain

•       Calm your mind with relaxation, meditation or yoga

The takeaway from this is that you are not a victim of age and you can actively participate in maintaining a healthy and sizeable brain.

How many times a day do you actively use your brain? Tell us in the comments below… 

IMPORTANT LEGAL INFO This article is of a general nature and FYI only, because it doesn’t take into account your personal health requirements or existing medical conditions. That means it’s not personalised health advice and shouldn’t be relied upon as if it is. Before making a health-related decision, you should work out if the info is appropriate for your situation and get professional medical advice.