TY - JOUR
T1 - Activation of the Brain to Postpone Dementia
T2 - A Concept Originating from Postmortem Human Brain Studies
AU - Zhu, Qiong-Bin
AU - Bao, Ai-Min
AU - Swaab, Dick
PY - 2019/1
Y1 - 2019/1
N2 - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by decreased neuronal activity and atrophy, while hyperactivity of neurons seems to make them resistant to aging and neurodegeneration, a phenomenon which we have paraphrased as 'use it or lose it'. Our hypothesis proposes that (1) during their functioning, neurons are damaged; (2) accumulation of damage that is not repaired is the basis of aging; (3) the vulnerability to AD is determined by the genetic background and the balance between the amount of damage and the efficiency of repair, and (4) by stimulating the brain, repair mechanisms are stimulated and cognitive reserve is increased, resulting in a decreased rate of aging and risk for AD. Environmental stimulating factors such as bilingualism/multilingualism, education, occupation, musical experience, physical exercise, and leisure activities have been reported to reduce the risk of dementia and decrease the rate of cognitive decline, although methodological problems are present.
AB - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by decreased neuronal activity and atrophy, while hyperactivity of neurons seems to make them resistant to aging and neurodegeneration, a phenomenon which we have paraphrased as 'use it or lose it'. Our hypothesis proposes that (1) during their functioning, neurons are damaged; (2) accumulation of damage that is not repaired is the basis of aging; (3) the vulnerability to AD is determined by the genetic background and the balance between the amount of damage and the efficiency of repair, and (4) by stimulating the brain, repair mechanisms are stimulated and cognitive reserve is increased, resulting in a decreased rate of aging and risk for AD. Environmental stimulating factors such as bilingualism/multilingualism, education, occupation, musical experience, physical exercise, and leisure activities have been reported to reduce the risk of dementia and decrease the rate of cognitive decline, although methodological problems are present.
U2 - 10.1007/s12264-019-00340-5
DO - 10.1007/s12264-019-00340-5
M3 - Article
C2 - 30721394
SN - 1673-7067
VL - 35
SP - 253
EP - 266
JO - Neuroscience Bulletin
JF - Neuroscience Bulletin
ER -