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Better brain From page 1 you, you,” said the 51-year-old Fotuhi. It’s also the part of the brain that shrinks with age more than any other. “When you get older, the hippocampus has a tendency
to shrink, usually .5 percent each year after 50, which would mean shrinkage of 10 percent in 20 years,” said Fotuhi. And the size of your hippocampus matters. “Changes in its size bring noticeable changes in a person’s memory and cognitive function,” he said. When it comes to peak brain
We specialize in short-term rehabilitation and long-term relationships. Mary came to ManorCare Health Service – Woodbridge Valley debilitated from an infection. Mary couldn’t even get out of bed!
DECEMBER 2013 — BALTIMORE BEACON
performance, bigger is undeniably better. But can natural shrinkage with age be reversed? Yes, Fotuhi said. He pointed to research published a few years ago in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in which one group of seniors did stretching exercises, while another group walked 45 minutes four days a week, both for a year. MRIs showed that while areas of the hippocampus in the stretchers shrank by about 1.5 percent during that period, those of the walkers increased by about 2 percent, “effectively reversing age-related loss in volume by 1 to 2 years,” the researchers said. Furthermore, the increased brain volume was associated with improved memory function and oxygen consumption in the walkers compared with the stretchers. In a book published in 2008, Fotuhi suggested that a great workout for the brain would be doing the New York Times crossword puzzle daily. He has also recommended that older adults put on their dancing shoes. Dancing is the perfect activity to keep the brain young, Fotuhi said. He told CNN that he began ballroom dancing when he was a student at Harvard Medical School, and that he and his wife Bita have mastered the tango. Dancing, crossword puzzles and other lifestyle changes may sound simple, but they’re based on sound science, Roizen said in an interview. “I think that what Dr. Fotuhi is recom-
didn’tknow know She told us ‘Ididn’t what to expect. I’ve never been hospitalized.’
“Everyone was so wonderful. I’m glad I came here.” - Mary
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See BETTER BRAIN, page 7
Life opens up when you’re not weighed down by worries. At Charlestown and Oak Crest, we take care of details like maintenance, security, health care and finances, so you’re free to relax and focus on doing what you love.
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Fotuhi stressed that his 12-week program is not in any way akin to the “miracle” cures promised on TV infomercials for various health concerns. Rather, it is an individualized treatment plan with proven results. “I take pride in the fact that 90.6 percent of the patients who have gone through this
retirement potential
As an added bonus, ManorCare’s exercise regimen jump-started a weight loss which helped her to resolve her diabetes. Mary says, “Thanks to ManorCare, I feel great!”
Ruxton
How the program works
Realize your
After our rehab team worked with Mary, she was up on her own two feet, managing all of her own needs and, in no time, was discharged and back to her regular routine.
Dulaney
mending is something that helps you expand your current brain power. Whether exercise or memory games, his treatment is at the forefront of medicine,” said Roizen, who heads the Wellness Clinic at the Cleveland Clinic and wrote the introduction to Fotuhi’s newest book, published in September. In the book, Boost Your Brain: The New Art + Science Behind Enhanced Brain Performance, Fotuhi calls the hippocampus “the gateway for new memories and essential for learning; as such, it is a major player in the quest for a bigger, stronger brain.” Look at the hippocampus as if it were the brain’s librarian, Fotuhi suggests in Boost Your Brain. “It processes all new information and decides what to keep and what to discard....The good stuff — that which the hippocampus deems storageworthy — is sent to various parts of the cortex for long-term storage.” What is deemed forgettable may be held for a short-time, then is tossed.
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