Research Spiritual training delays the Alzheimer outbreak

People who keep their brain "fit" in middle age protect themselves from Alzheimer's
When people engage their brain through various activities, this may help to ward off certain symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. However, this method does not help all people by far. The effectiveness depends on whether the affected person carries a particular gene.

Being mentally and physically healthy can help delay some of the brain changes caused by Alzheimer's disease. However, with one restriction: those affected must carry the so-called apoE4 gene. Scientists from the "Mayo Clinic" came to this conclusion in a new study. The researchers published the corresponding study in the journal "Neurology".

Intellectual training can delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease. (Picture: auremar / fotolia.com)

Only twenty percent of all people carry the APOE4 gene
APOE4 is a gene associated with Alzheimer's disease. About twenty percent of the population carry this gene, say the doctors. People with the gene who have been educated in schools or colleges for at least 14 years and have been mentally active even in middle age have some less chance of forming amyloid plaques, the experts explain. This effect did not occur in people with 14-year-old education who later did not keep mentally fit. For example, if a 79-year-old man carries the ApoE4 gene in his body, has high levels of education and has remained mentally active even in middle age, then the amyloid concentration will be as low as a non-mentally active 74 -Years, explain the researchers.

Study specifically examines the impact of lifelong mental education
Older studies have shown conflicting results on the impact of physical and mental activity on Alzheimer's risk. In their most recent research, the researchers were able to determine that the level of education of the patients was very different, explains study author Dr. Prashanthi Vemuri from the "Mayo Clinic". In particular, when we looked at the implications of lifelong learning, we found that people with the ApoE4 gene, who had higher education and were mentally active later in life, had a lower likelihood of amyloid deposition compared to people who did In middle age did not perform any intellectual activity, adds the physician.

In their study researchers investigate nearly 400 subjects
The overall results should not discourage people who do not carry that gene, but train their brains and participate in activities that require our brains, such as reading books and magazines, and playing community games, the doctors advise. There is strong evidence that these activities are helping to delay the onset of memory and thinking problems. Vemuri. However, it is not yet known how this process works exactly. For the study, scientists studied nearly 400 people without dementia, who were part of the "Mayo Clinic Study of Aging". Of these, 53 had mild cognitive impairment, the researchers add. All subjects were 70 years old or older. They were divided into two groups, with one group having completed at least 14 years of education. The other group had a shorter or shorter education, explain the scientists.

Constant mental training is indispensable
In MRI and PET studies, scientists looked for biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease. In addition, they evaluated weekly questionnaires on mental and physical activity in middle age. The group of participants found that education, occupation, mental and physical activity in middle age did not affect the development of amyloid plaques alone. There are no differences in the glucose metabolism in our brain and brain volume either, say the researchers. However, there was a difference when people with the ApoE4 gene continued to be mentally active even in middle age. In these subjects, there were fewer amyloid deposits in the brain, explain the experts. In people who were not mentally active, this effect did not occur despite the same educational background.

There are many limitations to the study, but our results indicate that more research is needed. Current evidence suggests that a different level of education in other studies has produced the conflicting results seen in the research literature, explains Dr. Vemuni. (As)