"Use It Or Lose It" For The Brain
(From the Washington Post). Here is another of my infequent reminders about exercise - a vital part of maintaining good health so as to live long enough to benefit from future medical technologies. This applies just as much to the brain as the body; if you don't make use of its varied capabilities, the brain will degenerate more rapidly across your life span. "Some people might have brain networks that are more efficient and so have a greater capacity to compensate for disease ... You have to be cautious. We don't want to create false hopes that you can prevent Alzheimer's ... One of the most striking findings was how it affected function in the area of the brain that creates everyday working memory. We may not have conclusive proof. But the evidence is strong. And these are all healthy choices for other reasons."
Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/13/AR2005081300855.html