By Eliza Marie Somers

As we go about our daily lives, our brains are constantly aging. From ingesting toxins in our food, to inhaling small wildfire smoke particles, to grabbing a cold beer after mowing the lawn, our brains are constantly challenged – and that doesn’t include the natural process of growing older or sustaining a brain injury.

However, scientific studies reveal there are steps we can take today that can help mitigate and/or reverse some of the damage that is taking a toll on our brains. “The Aging Brain: What You Need and Want to Know” was the topic of the Brain Injury Hope Foundation’s Oct. 11, 2024, Survivor Series with Dr. Mary Ann Keatley, Ph.D., CCC and Co-Founder of The Brain Injury Hope Foundation.

“This is actually really exciting,” Keatley said about the tools and techniques that can reverse brain aging. “Physical activity and exercise are really the No. 1. After working in rehab for so many years I understand that some of us can’t get out and exercise intensively. So that’s a given, but maybe there’s other things you can do, like ride an exercise bike or a recumbent bike.”

The other tools Keatley described to help with brain aging are spiritual fitness, cognitive stimulation, diet and nutrition, social connections and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). 

“We’re going to dig down a little bit deeper with physical activity,” Keatley said. “Through studies, they found that you can actually reverse unwanted effects of a sedentary lifestyle. What they’ve discovered is that physical activity delays brain aging. And it also contributes to delaying Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and heart disease.” 

Whether it’s 20-30 minutes of aerobic exercises, resistance and strength training, mind-body exercises, or combinations of all these things can improve the brain and your health. 

“Exercise participation can improve speed of brain processing, attention, executive functions and overall cognition,” Keatley explained.

Exercise is one of the best things you can do for your brain, and it can take just 3,800 steps a day to achieve better brain health.

Even walking and building up to a faster pace can help your brain. Keatley noted one study that revealed just 3,800 steps a day reduces the risk of dementia by 25 percent. 

“And what they’ve shown is that the more steps you do, the lower the risk you have of getting dementia. But once you reach 9,800 steps there’s little to no benefit beyond that,” Keatley said. 

One of the best ways to exercise to improve the brain, according to studies, is through high-intensity interval training or HITT as it improves working memory and short-term memory. Such as walking at a normal rate for 1 minute followed by 30-60 seconds of a faster pace, and repeating that pattern for 20-30 minutes. 

Tips to start a HIIT workout

“So, intensity offers extra protection … 20 to 30 minutes shows significant improvement in working memory and short-term memory,” Keatley said. 

Nutrition and the Brain

What we eat has huge impacts on our brains and health, and it’s another thing we can control in order to reduce brain aging. However, all the nutrition news out there can be a bit staggering. 

“Sometimes, I think if I have to read one more article about what I should and shouldn’t eat … you know it’s a little overwhelming,” Keatley said. “But we do know that the Mediterranean diet improves overall cognition. And one thing I read that really stuck out for me was even one tablespoon of olive oil a day will improve your overall cognition and functioning. That’s not really that hard to do.

“But there’s another diet called the DASH diet that was designed for hypertension. And so, they put together something called the MIND diet, which is the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet,” Keatley explained. “The benefits of the diet on cognition are that antioxidants and anti-inflammatories help your gut microbiome, it helps your inflammatory insulin responses, and it decreases neuronal damage.”

Adding just one tablespoon of olive oil a day to your diet can reduce inflammation.

Changing your diet by adding olive oil and more fruits and vegetables can have benefits, and reducing sugar, saturated fats and processed foods can really amp up the nutritional value of the MIND diet.  

Keatley also suggested adding foods that contain anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are a flavonoid and are found in red, purple and blue fruits and vegetables. A recent review of randomized control trials — the gold standard in scientific research — suggests that these compounds boost memory, attention and brain processing speed. 

And don’t forget dark chocolate, which can be a wonderful addition to your diet. Dark chocolate that is 70 percent of higher improves neurovascular functioning and decreases the progression of mild cognitive impairment to dementia. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-benefits-of-having-a-healthy-relationship-with-chocolate

“They’ve also found that if you eat dark chocolate, it actually produces a better effect than green tea or red wine or blueberries. So, I think dark chocolate is a good addition,” Keatley said. 

The benefits of drinking two cups of coffee and/or tea are also highly regarded in helping with brain health. 

“Caffeine associated with coffee increased cognitive performance and other kinds of functions, it also decreased the production of beta-amyloid protein, which is something we really want to do,” Keatley said. In the Alzheimer’s brain, abnormal levels of this beta-amyloid protein clump together to form plaques that disrupt cell function.

Green tea also reduces the risk of mild cognitive impairment, and it improved cognitive performance that was associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/roasted-green-tea-a-japanese-staple-could-boost-cognitive-performance

 Dr. Mary Ann Keatley says if you’re going to eat chocolate, dark chocolate of 70 percent or higher is the best for your diet. 

Keatley also addressed the issue of alcohol and the brain. “Even though people want alcohol to be OK, the studies show that drinking alcohol is linked to reduced volume of white matter in the brain,” Keatley explained. “And there are guidelines, like women can have one to two drinks a day, and men can have a little bit more than that. But I think moderation is the key if that’s something that you’re going to imbibe in, you know, just keep it moderate.

“And people always use the argument — Well, in Europe they drink a lot of wine all the time. So, when I was in Italy this time, just this last year, I noticed that people drank wine at lunch or dinner, but they drank a very small amount.

I mean, it was just a little tiny bit. It wasn’t like a 6-ounce glass. That was interesting to me.”

Sleep and the Brain

Regulating sleep-wake cycles are another area we can control that has great benefits for the brain, but that can be difficult after a brain injury. 

“Many of us who have had various things like concussions and brain injuries and neurodegenerative diseases have problems with sleep,” Keatley said. “So, it’s very important to begin to modulate your sleep-wake cycles so that you get enough rest in order to help your brain recover and stay healthy.”

The herb valerian shows promise in helping insomnia by reducing the amount of time to fall asleep and by increasing gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain. https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/herb/valerian

Melatonin also plays an integral role in sleep-wake cycles, but several studies urge short-term use and caution users about side effects. 

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/melatonin-for-sleep-does-it-work

“The thing I’ve learned about melatonin is the liquid kind that you just put under your tongue is a little more effective for many people. That’s what people have reported to me,” said Keatley, who also recommended people talk to their doctors about the supplement NeuroReplete to reset the circadian cycles.

A Harvard Medical School study revealed you’re twice as likely to develop dementia if you are getting less than 5 hours of sleep a night.

Even if you have regulated your sleep cycle, a lack of sleep is an important factor that contributes to brain aging. 

“Harvard Medical School did a big study of people who were 65 years and older, and what they found is if you get less than five hours of sleep a night, you’re twice as likely to develop dementia. That’s big,” Keatley said. 

Spiritual Fitness, Social Connections and the Brain

Meditation, yoga, prayer all contribute to a better brain, and what research shows is Kirtan Kriya practiced just 12 minutes a day greatly improves cognition and activates parts of the brain that are responsible for memory. 

“What they found in the studies is that it reduced anxiety. It reduced depression.

It reduced sleep problems. And it also reduced proven risk factors for Alzheimer’s. 

It also improved cognition and reversed some of the symptoms of memory loss,” Keatley said. 

She said the studies looked at blood flow in the brain while practicing Kirtan Kriya and found that the parts of the brain that control central memory, stress, balance, emotions and cognitive control (the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex) had increased blood flow. This increase in blood flow improved cognition by 50 percent, reduced stress by 31 percent and lowered anxiety by 18.7 percent.

“That’s pretty eye-opening when you look at those figures,” Keatley said.  

So how do you practice Kirtan Kriya? 

“They say to do this for 12 minutes, and I’ve been trying to do it while I’m out walking or sometimes sitting,” Keatley said. “What you do is you touch your thumb to your index finger. Then you touch the thumb to your middle finger, your third finger, and your fourth finger. And you say, ‘Saa Taa Naa, Maa.’ And it becomes easy. And you can do it with both hands. 

“Remember that when you’re tapping with your right hand, it’s working on the left hemisphere. When you’re tapping with your left hand, it’s working on the right motor strip. … By tapping you’re doing motor input to your fingers, 

and you actually stimulate the language areas here because your fingers are above your temporal lobe in the left hemisphere. So, sometimes if someone can’t think of a word, I tell people tap. Tap the top of your leg or something if you can’t come up with a word and that may stimulate the word to come.” 

Studies also reveal Tai Chi helps with cognition and brain health.

“Before moving on I want to touch on one more thing – increasing your social networks,” Keatley said. “Studies found that increasing your social networks is really critical. … Even if you’re somebody who has lower cognitive functioning, like patients with severe problems in cognitive functioning, is that if they had a fairly large social network (such as book clubs, group meetings), they were frequently able to function in their home environment.”

One study’s conclusion: Among individuals most at risk of social isolation, having supportive and fulfilling social networks was associated with preserved cognitive function.  

How to build social networks https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/3-ways-to-build-brain-boosting-social-connections-202109082585

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy has been used in the medical community and the military and is becoming more mainstream.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and the Brain 

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy or HBOT has been used by the military and in medical settings for years, especially for decompression sickness due to scuba diving. 

According to the Mayo Clinic: In a hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber, the air pressure is increased 2 to 3 times higher than normal air pressure. Under these conditions, your lungs can gather much more oxygen than would be possible breathing pure oxygen at normal air pressure. This extra oxygen helps fight bacteria. It also triggers the release of substances called growth factors and stem cells, which promote healing.

HBOT is now becoming more mainstream, however, some studies have been inconclusive on the benefits for traumatic brain injuries. Keatley said she has seen improvements in patients who have used HBOT.

“I’ve seen people who couldn’t actualize continued improvement. They just couldn’t. They did everything they could. They continued to have headaches, they couldn’t think clearly, they couldn’t think rapidly enough and they had a lot of pain. So, sometimes it was kind of like a last resort. But it was pretty amazing some of the results from hyperbaric. 

“The brain comprises only 2 percent of the body’s weight. We know it’s small, like 3 pounds, but it utilizes 20 percent of our oxygen and 25 percent of total glucose. 

(When people have brain injuries, a oftentimes they report wanting to eat more sugar. So, one of the things we would tell them to do is eat more protein.)

“What the studies show is that intermittent hyperbaric exposure, even in aging populations was very positive. It enhanced cognitive functioning. It rejuvenated the skin and that’s why sometimes, I’ve seen it used in cancer rejuvenation for people that have skin-related issues. 

“So, Alzheimer’s disease patients significantly improved in the cognitive assessment scores one month following HBOT. Then they did follow-up studies at three months and six months, and they found that they had improved in language, abstract reasoning, problem solving and memory.

“It’s really a promising form of treatment, but there’s been a lot of controversy about hyperbaric oxygen. Some people say it doesn’t work. I mean, you’ll have whole organizations, insurance companies that don’t want to pay for it, but they’re using it much more in hospital situations now, early on with people who have a traumatic brain injury.”

Brain exercises are a great way to halt aging.

Self-Screening for Memory Disorders

Ohio State University developed a free SAGE Screening Evaluation to catch memory problems early. SAGE stands for Self-Administered Gerocognitive Exam.

Here is a link to the OSU site with the test you can download and take to your doctor after the test:  https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/brain-spine-neuro/memory-disorders/sage

“It’s a great thing to do, and I did it myself,” Keatley said. “It’s a simple thing, and it asks you to do specific tasks, and you can get a baseline. Even if you don’t think you have issues with cognition, it might be a good idea to do it because then you can do it over time, and it’s free. What they found is it accurately identified patients with mild cognitive impairment, who eventually progressed to dementia diagnosis, six months earlier than the Mini Mental Status Exam.

“Now, why would that be important? I mean, like, who wants to know that,” Keatley continued. “Well, there’s reasons for that because a lot of times we may think that we are having some kind of Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis when it might be something completely different, like let’s say our potassium is low. So, it’s really a good idea to do obtain a baseline, and then you can go to your physician because there’s a number of meds and /or supplements that they can give you now to assist, which might help alleviate some of these problems. You may also want to see a speech language pathologist for a cognitive evaluation or a neuropsychologist for a much more in-depth four- to eight-hour exam.” 

Even though our brains are constantly being challenged, there are things we can do to combat the negative effects of a toxic environment and create new neuropathways, and a healthier and more vibrant lifestyle.

In the slide above is a list of apps that can help you and your brain.