The aging population is a source of increasing medical and economic distress in all developed countries, such as the US, European Union, and Japan. One of the issues most associated with aging is the reduced capacity for mental capability and the development of age-related mental illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, finding ways of reducing the effects of aging on the human brain is of paramount importance. According to Brown, Peiffer, and Martins (2013), one of the primary and most readily available means of countering neurodegenerative processes of the brain is physical exercise. The research shows that the introduction of aerobic exercises and strength-improving routines reduces the chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease while countering the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle on the muscular-skeletal structure.
Another way of reducing the effects of aging on the brain revolves around improving a person’s sleeping patterns. Westerberg et al. (2015) investigated the capabilities of slow-wave brain activity as a means of improving memory and other brain-related functions in older adults suffering from Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other neurodegenerative diseases. According to the report, slow-oscillatory stimulation resulted in higher word-pair recall and improved levels of brain activity.
The last research synthesized in this paper involves the use of intranasal insulin as a means of improving age-related cognitive deficits. According to Maimaiti et al. (2015), peripheral insulin resistance is a defining factor in preventing numerous diseases associated with obesity and sedentary lifestyle. However, recent discoveries indicate that insulin also plays an important role in reducing the effect of Alzheimer’s disease, among others. The research reports that low levels of intranasal insulin improve cognition and reduces the amount of hippocampal afterhyperpolarization (AHP), which is associated with the aging of the brain and the development of neurodegenerative diseases.
References
Brown, B. M., Peiffer, J. J., & Martins, R. N. (2013). Multiple effects of physical activity on molecular and cognitive signs of brain aging: Can exercise slow neurodegeneration and delay Alzheimer’s disease? Molecular Psychiatry, 2013(18), 864-874.
Maimaiti, S., Anderson, K. L., DeMoll, C., Brewer, L. D., Rauh, B. A., Gant, J. C., Thibault, O. (2015). Intranasal insulin improves age-related cognitive deficits and reverses electrophysiological correlates of brain aging. The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 71(1), 30-39.
Westerberg, C. E., Florczak, S. M., Weintraub, S., Mesulam, M.-M., Marshall, L., Zee, P. C., & Paller, K. A. (2015). Memory improvement via slow-oscillatory stimulation during sleep in older adults. Neurobiology of Aging, 36(9), 2577-2586.