How social distance affects brain health and cognition

Cognitive decline can manifest itself on two main planes. The first is a decrease in memory and the second is a decrease in cognitive functions, including attention, task performance, decision making and judgment. But this is not a decree from heaven, and preventive measures can be adopted that will protect cognition.

It has been known for decades that lifestyle has a crucial impact on the fate of our cognition. Simple activities such as learning new things, maintaining social involvement, persevering in physical activity, eating well, getting enough hours of sleep and laughing, empathy and giving – do wonders for strengthening brain function, memory and mood.

The brain can be thought of as a muscle. As you persevere in sports, healthy eating, learning new things, reading books and social gatherings, there is an increase in brain connectivity, which increases the amount and intensity of contact between brain cells (neurons), called synapses. This phenomenon is called “brain flexibility” (neuroplasticity) and it expresses the brain’s ability to reshape itself, both physically and functionally, throughout life, with no age limit.

Over the years, two areas of the brain first weaken, the prefrontal cortex in the anterior lobe, and the temporal lobe located on either side of the brain, where the hippocampus resides, which is a key structure in processing new information and converting it into long-term memory.

Poor functioning in the first structure, the prefrontal cortex, can lead to a change in the cognitive behaviors under its responsibility, such as the ability to plan and perform tasks, exercise judgment and make decisions, personality, memory and more.

The second structure, the hippocampus, knows how to connect the emotions and senses experienced in an event specific to the environment and actions, so that we can faithfully extract the memory in the future. For example, first love, marriage proposal, marriage, divorce, births, a trip abroad or writing a thesis.

This is good news, as a change in many of these factors over the course of a lifetime may skew the path of aging or cognitive decline. There is of course a genetic influence and each of us has a different genetic load, but the environment has an equally important influence.

Undoubtedly, as can be learned from the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for 2020 concerning healthy people or people with mild disabilities, lifestyle has a crucial impact on the fate of our cognition. The organization identifies three key areas that contribute significantly to cognition retention: a healthy and balanced diet, social involvement, social support, and exercise.

The present article chose to concentrate on these three areas, without underestimating the factors of other factors such as sleep, smoking, obesity, genetic factors, mental state, years of education, high levels of fats and blood sugar, vitamin deficiency and more.

1. Nutrition
A healthy and varied diet, such as a Mediterranean diet, is a vital factor in healthy aging. It includes foods rich in fiber, fruits, vegetables, olive oil, fish, legumes, lean dairy products, whole grains, while reducing the consumption of red meat, saturated fat and processed foods. Fruits and vegetables are rich in polyphenols such as those found in green tea, red wine, blueberries, grapes, cocoa, curcumin, garlic, cabbage, etc.

Polyphenols are a group of herbal compounds that are characterized by a similar chemical structure, and have many and varied activities such as antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory and accelerating the proliferation of good bacterial strains in the gut that prevent toxins from entering the bloodstream and from there to the brain.

Many preclinical studies indicate the effectiveness of polyphenols in improving the memory of older animals and lowering toxic deposits called amyloid in the brain, as well as in the formation of new neurons in the hippocampus.

In two randomized double-blind clinical trials in healthy adults and young adults, made on a patented compound called memphenol containing a high concentration of polyphenols derived from blueberries and grapes, a significant improvement in both short-term and long-term memory was found. According to the researchers, the findings in the older population are equivalent to a reduction of about 13 years in the cognitive age at the end of six months of treatment, compared to 5.5 years in the control group.

2. Social interaction
Social connections can greatly prevent cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s and depression. According to a study published several months ago by a group of researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital, active social contact is the most powerful protective factor against depression.

It turns out that if you are the type of person who tells everything you have in your heart to friends, the more often you trust your loved ones, the more you will be protected from depression. The protective effects of social bonding existed even in people who were at higher risk for depression as a result of genetic impairment or early life trauma. The issue is more relevant than ever in the current era of social distancing and separation from friends and family.

3. Brain training and learning new things
The goal is to strengthen the functions of memory, problem-solving ability, performing tasks and concentration, with games that encourage thinking, such as chess and bridge, listening to music or playing music, reading, taking courses, solving crossword puzzles, sudoku, and cognitive training using computer software. The science behind this explains that mental flexibility due to learning experiences creates new connections in the brain between the nerve cells that contribute to neuroplasticity.

4. Persistence in physical activity
Studies show that physical exercise has immediate effects on the brain due to increased levels of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine that contribute to mood, improving attention and concentration, feeling satisfied and improving movement. But the finding that revolutionized the scientific world is the “construction” of new brain tissue in the brains of people who have persevered with aerobic exercise for months. It turns out that aerobic exercise keeps the hippocampus from shrinking with age. This finding is tremendous, as it contains the ability to preserve our memories – our essence in the hands of the hippocampus.

5. The fate of cognition is in our hands
The important message is that we have the tools to slow down cognitive decline, maintain the existing one and even improve it. It turns out that lifestyle changes, along with advances in medicine, especially digital medicine, improved hygiene conditions and a healthy and balanced diet, are essential for keeping our memory razor sharp, for mood and healthy aging. Thanks to these changes, people today not only live longer, but their quality of life has improved miraculously.

The power to bring about change is in our hands and our will. We must practice and challenge the mind. The mind is flexible, we can shape it, manipulate it and most importantly – we must maintain it. It takes effort, but it’s all worth it – because who wants to end his life without a personal identity.

Dr. Sylvia Mendel (PhD) is a brain researcher at the Technion