Lifelong Active Brains Have Fewer Deposits Of Alzheimer's Protein

A new study using PET scans to to examine the brains of healthy older people finds those who have been mentally stimulated all their lives, doing things like reading, writing, and playing games and puzzles, have fewer deposits of beta-amyloid, a destructive protein that is a hallmark of Alzheimer's Disease. The researchers suggest their findings will encourage scientists to think differently about how mental stimulation affects the biology of the brain.

Previous studies have already suggested that keeping the brain active by pursuing activities that challenge thinking skills, such as reading, writing and playing games, may help put off Alzheimer's Disease later in life. But none has yet pointed to a link with the underlying suspected biology.

Dr. William Jagust, a professor with appointments at UC Berkeley's Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, the School of Public Health and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, led the research. He said the results point us in a new direction about how lifelong mental stimulation affects the brain:

"Rather than simply providing resistance to Alzheimer's, brain-stimulating activities may affect a primary pathological process in the disease. This suggests that cognitive therapies could have significant disease-modifying treatment benefits if applied early enough, before symptoms appear."


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