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Mental activity can reduce risk of Alzheimer's
Although Alzheimer’s disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, Dr. James Simpkins of the UNT Health Science Center says that mental and physical activity can reduce a person’s risk of developing the disease. Dr. Simpkins:
Simpkins: “There is suggestive evidence that mental exercise, as well as physical exercise, have a protective effect on Alzheimer’s disease. So it makes sense to keep the brain active, to stay physically active and to maintain good cardiovascular health. And those things collectively can likely reduce one’s risk of Alzheimer’s disease.”
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Dr. Simpkins, chair of the UNT Health Science Center’s Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience and the director of the Institute for Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Research, says researchers are just beginning to examine the links between mental activity and prevention of Alzheimer’s:
Simpkins: “The problem we have is that that has not been experimentally well worked out, and it’s certainly one of the things we’re going to begin to address here at the UNT Health Science Center. The observation is this: if individuals engage in mental activities such as solving crossword puzzles, solving mathematical problems, writing creatively. And if you do that on a regular basis, that kind of activity appears to have a protective effect against Alzheimer’s disease. The specific kind of mental activity that’s associated with that protection has not been worked out and is the subject of further research.”
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While Alzheimer’s has puzzled doctors for years, researchers are finally developing a stronger understanding of the disease:
Simpkins: “Alzheimer’s disease is a brain neurodegenerative disease. So we know that it’s associated with the loss of nerve cells, there is in the brain the buildup of what are called senile plaques, as well as things call neurofibrillary tangles. And if you put those all together, that’s the neuropathology of Alzheimer’s disease.”
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UNT News Service Phone Number: (940) 565-2108
Contact: Rufus Coleman (940) 565-3510
Email: news_service@unt.edu
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