The brain needs to be stimulated in order to stay in shape and limit cognitive decline. Indeed, this organ plays the primary role in your daily life and constitutes the control center of the human body. It is therefore very important to take care of your brain to delay aging as much as possible. Lara V. Marcuse, board-certified neurologist and co-director of the epilepsy program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (United States), and interviewed in the columns of the media SELF, recommended an easy habit to adopt to challenge this essential organ.
Taking care of your brain by learning a new skill could help ward off certain diseases
As the neurologist explains, “Indulging in an unfamiliar or even difficult hobby forces the brain to exercise new or rarely used neural pathways, which may thus help prevent cognitive decline, and even protect the brain from certain diseases like Alzheimer“. This is why she explains that she started playing the piano in her mid-40s. If the expert had difficulty absorbing this discipline at the beginning, “she absolutely does not regret having started, because it allows her to go into the smallest corners of her body and her mind” she indicates. Indeed, playing a musical instrument mobilizes all facets of the brain. This stimulates the cerebral cortex areas of the brain involved in the memory function. This is also what British researchers recently confirmed in a study who demonstrated that playing a musical instrument helped preserve mental health.
Music, painting, physical activity… The secret to a healthy brain
According to Dr. Marcusse, many activities such as tai chi, painting, learning a new language or the meaning of tarot cards help stimulate the brain. The most important thing is to find one that you enjoy and that has a certain level of challenge, because although mastering a new skill can be difficult, it is beneficial for the brain.
Preserve your brain health: how many times a week to practice an activity?
To integrate this new habit into your daily life, it is essential to practice it “every day, even if you don’t do it for long” explains the expert. Indeed, regular training of the brain helps to stimulate cognitive processes, because the nervous envelope which covers the neurons called “myelin sheath” thickens, and when it thickens, it helps the brain transmit and process information more efficiently.
Sources :
- I’m a Neurologist. Here’s the One Thing I Do Every Day for My Long-Term Brain Health – SELF – 14 février 2024
- Understanding the brain, its development, its functioning, its plasticity and pathologies – Institut du Cerveau
