“Curmudge, you once said that one sure-fire way to avoid
aging is to die young. That sounds
pretty extreme. It’s certainly
better for one to age gracefully during those ‘golden years’ after retirement.”
“That sounds great, Julie, but for many people those years
aren’t ‘golden.’ One of the most
common reasons is poor health, and one of the most frequent health issues is
age-related cognitive decline. It
seems that most of my senior-citizen friends experience some memory loss—even
if it’s only an occasional ‘senior moment.’ And of course we all worry that those ‘senior moments’ might
signal the onset of something really tragic, like Alzheimer’s disease.”
“If you haven’t forgotten, Old Guy, that’s what we planned
to talk about today.”
“I recall that it was Merzenich, whom we discussed in our
last posting, that extended his application of neuroplasticity to senior
citizens. He and coworkers founded
a new company, Posit Science, ‘devoted
to helping people preserve the plasticity of their brains as they age and
extend their mental lifespans.’ (Unless otherwise indicated, quoted material is from Doidge’s book.) (1)”
“As you know so
well, Curmudge, a ‘senior moment’ is when you have trouble remembering,
finding, and using the right word.”
“That’s right,
Julie. Merzenich believes that
seniors are apt to get a ‘noisy brain’ similar to that of a language-impaired
child. ‘As we progress in life we are operating as users of mastered skills and
abilities.’ ‘The nucleus
basalis…that helps the brain “tune in” and form sharp memories, has been
totally neglected.’ A way to
reverse the brain’s atrophy is to put it back to work. Anything that requires highly focused
attention, like learning a new language, solving challenging puzzles, or
mastering a new skill…”
“…or writing a
blog. Doidge says that ‘Posit
Science has exercises for memory of words and language using Fast ForWord-like listening exercises
and computer games for auditory memory designed for adults.’ Like the programs for children, these
exercises have sufficient rewards or punishments to keep the user interested. Their programs include the CD-based Brain
Fitness Program and the newer Web-based BrainHQ. So, Forgetful Fellow, have you tried
either of these?”
“You know, Young
Person, that I never forget anything; I write everything down. But maybe some day…”
“I’ve really been
impressed, Curmudge, by the way that neuroplasticity research has led to new
treatments for movement disabilities resulting from accidents and strokes.”
“I agree,
Julie. This apparently started
when the father of researcher Paul Bach-y-Rita cured himself of paralysis of
one side of his body by persistent exercise of the affected limbs. The typical four-week rehabilitation
didn’t help him much, but Paul’s brother, George, encouraged their father,
Pedro, to crawl with his weak shoulder and arm supported by a wall. After a year of this and other therapy,
Pedro was able to return to teaching.
Upon the subsequent death of Pedro from a heart attack, examination of
his brain revealed that the lesion from his stroke had not healed. Pedro’s brain had apparently
reorganized itself to recover the functions destroyed by his stroke.”
“What a
story! As we discussed back on 12/11/13,
Edward Taub used research with monkeys to expand on Bach-y-Rita’s finding. He then applied his so-called constraint-induced
movement therapy to victims of strokes and cerebral palsy. ‘The same treatment shows promise for
spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, and even
arthritis.’ ‘The
Taub clinic uses the behavioral technique of “shaping,” taking an
incremental approach to all tasks…to retrieve the motor programs that Taub
believes are still in the nervous system.’ The patients drill six hours a day for ten to fifteen days
straight.”
“You’ve got it,
Julie, as usual. And I believe
that constraint-induced movement therapy is now used widely—even locally—for
stroke victims. Taub’s principles
of constraint and shaping have been applied by other clinicians, such as Dr.
Friedemann Pulvermüller, to treat the speech affliction, aphasia. Ramachandran learned how to retrain the
brain to overcome ‘phantom pain.’ “
“You know, Old
Guy, that there’s a lot of thinking about the brain going on these days. There’s the Institute for
Neuro-Innovation at Stanford,
the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Emory University,
a center for traumatic
brain injury, and even an article in the February 2014 National
Geographic.”
“Somewhere in
Doidge’s book it says that there is a great need to maintain the health of the
brain to keep up with the increasing longevity of the rest of the body. I’m all for that.”
Kaizen Curmudgeon
1.
Doidge,
Norman, MD The Brain That Changes Itself
(2007).
Link to posting from blog archives: Mistakes 3—necessary fallibility—7/22/10
See also the
2/19/09 posting.
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