The brain is a complex structure that controls thoughts, emotions, memory and intelligence. Like everything else in the body, it ages and its decline begins at age 27, according to researcher Timothy Salthouse of the University of Virginia (USA). The scientist explains that the brain peak is at 22 years old, it remains stable until 27 and at 30 it loses some functions.
brain aging
Anyone over 27, however, should not panic, Salthouse clarifies that speech develops until the age of 60. However, it is known that brain degeneration causes neuron deficiency, a factor that is the gateway to diseases such as Alzheimer's, one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases that causes recent memory loss, personality changes and difficulties in coordinating movements.
Busy brain = healthy brain
To have a healthy brain, you need to keep it busy, according to a study by the University of Alabama (USA) carried out with 300 people between the ages of 50 and 89. The researchers concluded that in mentally active volunteers the power of reasoning, memory, processing and vocabulary was greater.
Although the study is not conclusive, if the simple fact of keeping the brain busy already improves the conditions of the organ, the researchers advise to maintain an active life, because when the brain is exposed to different information and situations, new neural networks are created, activating areas of the brain that were not used much.
How to keep the brain active?
There are several exercises to keep the brain active, we have separated 4 for you to start today:
1. Do physical exercises to stimulate the release of endorphins and serotonin, neurotransmitters responsible for well-being.
2. Learn a language, play an instrument or anything else you want to study.
3. When you read a word, find five more that start with the same letter.
4. Change your commute to work or school.
The brain also needs exercise to be healthy. What do you do to take care of this important organ? Tell us.
Text written by Sumaia de Santana Salgado from the Eu Sem Fronteiras Team.
