Senior Brain Health- Cognition or Perspiration? Patrick Foo Assoc. Prof., Psychology Former Director, Neuroscience, UNCA
Collaborators • Dr. Angel Kaur, Director Neuroscience • Dr. Jason Wingert, Dept. Health Wellness Promotion • Student researchers: Sarah Luca, Elliot Nauert, Keith Chichester, Jeannie Buckner, Catherine Welder, Serena Vonkchalee, Stephanie Rerych, Jacob Wisnoski, Clair Powell, Alex Schaeffer, Quentin Reynolds, Melissa Allen, and Abbey Allen
Are online brain training programs like Lumosity effective for improving cognitive performance in seniors?
Outline for today’s talk • Human Brain Anatomy – which structures in the brain are we training? • Our study on Cognitive Brain Training • Perspiration: Exercise and Brain Health • Meditation and Brain Health • A Holisitic Approach to health and aging
Outline for today’s talk • Human Brain Anatomy – which structures in the brain are we training? • Our study on Cognitive Brain Training • Perspiration: Exercise and Brain Health • Meditation and Brain Health • A Holisitic Approach to health and aging
Outline for today’s talk • Human Brain Anatomy – which structures in the brain are we training? • Our study on Cognitive Brain Training • Perspiration: Exercise and Brain Health • Meditation and Brain Health • A Holisitic Approach to health and aging
Human Brain Anatomy– which structures in the brain are we training?
Let’s use less-complicated brains to start…
Human development of the blastula: a hollow ball of cells
Blastula forming a Neural Tube
Neural Tube forms into the Brain & Spinal Cord
What are the functions of each section of the neural tube?
The Spinal cord connects brain and body Somatic Autonomic
All Chordates have a spinal cord, but their brains differ
The Hindbrain
Hindbrain controls our Physiological Needs (Homeostasis)
Hindbrain controls our Physiological Needs (Homeostasis)
Cerebellum allows us to navigate (safety)
Bony Fish (Nemo) that navigate have a larger Cerebellum cerebellum cerebellum
Birds/humans have the largest cerebellum • Accuracy, fluidity of fine motor movements, & balance
Midbrain also keeps us safe (visual orienting)
Midbrain also keeps us safe (motor programs)
Forebrain (thalamus, hypothalamus, and limbic system) supports mammalian development and parenting
Forebrain (thalamus, hypothalamus, pituitary) supports mammalian development and parenting
Forebrain (thalamus, hypothalamus, pituitary) supports the 4 F’s (basic drives)
Forebrain (limbic system and basal ganglia) supports emotions, learning, movement The limbic system allows for shortcuts for intuitive responses Kahneman’s System 1, Ariely, Gladwell
Finally, we have a cerebral cortex at the (top) end of our neural tube ? Reason & Logic, Rational, Abstract thinking e.g. Expected Utility Theory in Economics Kahneman’s system 2, Phineas Gage
The cortex supports high level perception and cognitive processing Occipital: Vision (color/motion/texture) Temporal: Hearing (speech/language) Memory Parietal: Touch (pressure/pain) spatial orienting Frontal: Executive functions, problem solving, movement
Cognitive Brain Training focuses on the Cortex! Memory, Speed, Attention, Problem solving (both Crystallized and Fluid), Flexibility
Outline for today’s talk • Human Brain Anatomy – which structures in the brain are we training? • Our study on Cognitive Brain Training • Perspiration: Exercise and Brain Health • Meditation and Brain Health • A Holisitic Approach to health and aging
Cognitive Brain Training has been around for awhile! • Ebbinghaus’ Memory test (1885) – How many nonsense syllables can you remember? CEF DAX YOV VUX GEX JID ZIL LAJ MYV
• John Ridley Stroop’s Flexibility test (1935) – Can you inhibit “automatic” reading?
• John C. Raven’s Progressive Matrices test (1936) – What is the next logical pattern?
Lumosity online Brain Training
Lumosity claimed skill transfer • Training one skill, improving in another • Working memory fluid intelligence • Cognitive flexibility fluid intelligence General Intelligence Fluid Crystallized Intelligence Intelligence
Controversy: will skills transfer? Support Opposition • Lumos Labs • Redick et al., 2013 Shipstead et al., 2012 • Jaeggi et al. 2008 • Melby-Lervåg, 2013 • Open letter, 2014
Class project created by Dr. Kaur • Lack of active control • Small sample sizes • If Lumosity can help “any brain” get better, why not test young brains at their peak?
What is “Fluid Intelligence?” General Intelligence Fluid Intelligence Crystallized Intelligence
Crystallized Intelligence • Crystallized Intelligence – Facts, figures, rules; Math, language – Can be TRAINED
Fluid Intelligence: “Aha!” • Fluid Intelligence – Abstract thought, pattern recognition, visuospatial reasoning – Insight learning
Goals 1. Will memory and flexibility training transfer cognitive skills to fluid intelligence? 2. Identify the effects of cognitive training in the cognitively healthy and stimulated population of college students ?
Methods Participants – Undergraduates – 18-24 years old – < 1 week of formal brain training experience – 81 completed – Pre- and post- tests – Participants randomly assigned to 1 of 5 groups – Brain training for 6 weeks
Pre/Post Tests: Memory and Flexibility • Working memory: • Cognitive Flexibility: Memory span The Stroop Task
Pre/Post Tests: Fluid Intelligence • Paper Folding: • Matrix Reasoning: Visuospatial Pattern Recognition Reasoning
5 Randomized Test Groups Control 1: No Control 2: Control 3: Experimental 1: Experimental 2: Contact Alternate Task- Crystallized Memory Flexibility Sudoku Intelligence Task- Lumosity Lumosity Trivia Did not engage Medium Trivia games, 20 Memory-focused Flexibility- in any “brain difficulty Sudoku minutes, 3-5 Lumosity ™ focused training” puzzles, 20 times per week training, 20 Lumosity exercises minutes, 3-5 minutes, 3-5 training, 20 times per week times per week minutes, 3-5 times per week
Results • Working memory • Flexibility All groups improved their All groups improved on the memory F(1,79)= 10.200, Stroop F(1,79)= 4.245, p= p= 0.002, no sig. 0.043. no sig. difference difference between groups between groups
Results: Fluid Intelligence • Paper Folding • Matrix Reasoning All groups improved their All groups improved their memory F(1,79)= 5.593, memory F(1,79)= 14.845, p= 0.021. no sig. p< 0.001 no sig. difference between groups. difference between groups.
Conclusions and Implications • Online brain training programs like Lumosity can improve cognitive performance in seniors but only for specific tasks ?
Outline for today’s talk • Human Brain Anatomy – which structures in the brain are we training? • Our study on Cognitive Brain Training • Perspiration: Exercise and Brain Health • Meditation and Brain Health • A Holisitic Approach to health and aging
What about Perspiration?
What about Perspiration? fMRI measures the metabolic demands (BOLD Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent) of active neurons of 0.1-5% with increased cognition…. (e.g. Lindquist et al., 2008)
During intense exercise cardiac output can increase 400-800% and stimulate capillary growth and even neurogenesis via BDNF brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the (rodent) brain (Swain et al., 2003)
Increased vascular health is of course important for stroke prevention Can it also improve cognitive functioning?
Humans show tantalizing links between exercise and brain health Leg extension power predicts cognitive aging and global brain structure in identical twins (Steves et al., 2015). Nature vs. Nurture?
Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MV-PA) is more associated greater brain structural and functional integrity, than existing Higher cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) (Burzynska et al., 2015)
“use it or lose it” Only 20% of Americans get the recommended 150 minutes of strength and cardiovascular physical activity per week, & more than half of all baby boomers report doing no exercise whatsoever (TIME, Sept. 2016)
Does this mean one must become a gym rat?
Green Exercise is better for you! Running outside resulted in significant increases in positive emotions and decreases in negative emotions, and higher pride with natural than laboratory running for recreational runners (Hansmann, Hug, & Seeland, 2007; Kerr, et al., 2006; McKay and Neill, 2010)
Green Exercise is better for you! Less strenuous exercises like walking and being outdoors during free-time was evaluated as the most enjoyable and effective activity for recovery from stress (Crust et al., 2013; Korpela & Kinnunen, 2011)
Recommend
More recommend
