I came across this TedTalk while looking for something to write my next neuro note on. I try to write about things that we are learning about in class, that way I can elaborate on my knowledge and understanding on that particular topic. In this TedTalk, Lisa Genova, author of the book, "Still Alice" talks about how we can prevent Alzheimer's disease by making new neural pathways and increasing our cognitive reserve. I thought that this topic was interesting because there is currently no cure for Alzheimer's and I wanted to see how what she talked about could help my future patients and clients. She explains that individuals with Alzheimer's disease have increased amyloid plaques, tangles, and brain shrinkage caused by microglia, and that this is due to losing synapses in the brain. People can start developing these plaques and tangles as early as age 40, but are unaware that anything is wrong because they typically do not show any signs of Alzheimer's until later into their 70s and 80s.
One thing that I found very interesting was that sleep deprivation and poor sleep habits in general can significantly increase the amount of amyloid plaques in the brain. Even one night of sleep deprivation can increase the amount of plaque. I can't speak for everybody, but I know I won't be pulling any more all-nighters in school. Lisa goes on to say that people have an increased risk for developing Alzheimer's disease if they have poor sleep habits, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, if they smoke, or have high cholesterol. The brain has about 100 trillion synapses, which makes up our cognitive reserve. This number can vary at any given time, and can be increased by making new connections in the brain. We can train our brains to combat Alzheimer's if we have more years of formal education, a higher degree of literacy, and engage regularly in mentally stimulating activities, which will create more neural pathways and increase our cognitive reserve. Lisa also put an emphasis on participating in activities that are meaningful, which is a big buzzword in the field of OT. Doing things like crossword puzzles wouldn't necessarily help with making new neural pathways, but rather meeting new friends, learning a new language, or reading a book would have a significantly higher impact.
From an occupational therapy perspective, I believe this is something that needs to be researched even more. Hospitals and healthcare providers would save so much money buy implementing preventative care into their practice rather than treating the symptoms after their patients have already been diagnosed. I personally love that the engagement in purposeful and meaningful activities can be a useful tool to help prevent the onset of Alzheimer's, even if someone is genetically predisposed to it. I would love to incorporate this into my practice if I end up working with individuals with Alzheimer's disease. Lisa mentioned three lessons she learned from her grandmother that she mentioned at the end of the talk, and they really stood out to me: "Having the diagnosis doesn't mean you're dying tomorrow; keep living. You won't lose your emotional memory. You are more than what you can remember."
I really enjoyed this TedTalk and would recommend it to anyone who is curious about Alzheimer's prevention. The link for the talk is listed below:
Genova, L. (April 2017). What you can do to prevent Alzheimer's. [Video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.ted.com/talks/lisa_genova_what_you_can_do_to_prevent_alzheimer_s#t-791251
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