Jamie Summers owes many of her best childhood memories to the times she spent vacationing at her grandfather’s house, playing card games and spending quality time with him.
But about six years ago, the grandfather of the fourth-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student was no longer able to recognize her.
“It’s rough. It’s hard when my younger cousins never knew him,” she said. Her cousins didn’t know their grandfather before he developed Alzheimer’s disease.
Dementia ““ diseases that gradually decrease the brain’s function ““ has a strong correlation with aging. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s, a progressive and fatal disorder which severely impacts memory, said Gal Bitan, a neurology professor at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.
Brain injury occurring from stress and correlating with aging affects memory as well, said Ronald Harper, a neurobiology professor at the medical school.
Stress from brain injury is not good for the brain because the accumulation of cortisol, the body’s stress hormone, can halt brain development, said Dr. George Bartzokis, a neurology professor at the school of medicine.
Though dementia is common for aging patients, there can be ways to prevent it or delay its onset.
“Head trauma and protecting your brain from physical harm is a big deal for (especially) you guys,” Bartzokis said about college-aged students. He also said younger people have a higher risk as they are the ones who tend to participate in activities prone to head injury like motorcycling and football.
Alzheimer’s disease destroys brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Patients with head trauma are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, Bartzokis said.
Another way to prevent the onset of dementia later in life is by protecting the brain from harmful substances like drugs and alcohol at a young age.
“The second thing that you do a lot when you are young is what I call dissolving your brain,” Bartzokis said, adding that alcohol dissolves the fat that makes up the main building blocks of the brain.
“If you drink on a regular basis and drink excessively, you’re definitely at risk for developing chronic neurological problems,” Bitan said.
In addition to avoiding high-risk behaviors, there are certain things one can do to help maintain a healthy state of mind and body later in life.
The pursuit of higher education is favorable to the brain since maintaining an active brain throughout life is helpful and protective, Bartzokis said.
Though the direct causes of many degenerative diseases are not known, researchers say active steps can be taken to protect oneself from being susceptible to the crippling effects of aging.
One way is by ensuring the body receives its vital vitamins.
Summers, who researches Alzheimer’s disease in Bitan’s laboratory, said her father makes an effort to take fish oil pills.
Omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish oils and nuts, have acids that are highly concentrated in the brain. Consuming the same substance of the brain is like consuming a vitamin specifically for the brain, Bartzokis said.
Other nutrients nourish the brain as well. Thiamine, found in whole grains, is essential to keeping a healthy brain, said Harper. Parts of the brain that are exposed to toxins and stressors, especially in aged people, can be damaged if patients do not have sufficient thiamine in their diet, Harper said.
According to researchers, despite efforts to lessen the degree to which aging diseases are growing, the number of dementia patients will likely continue to increase rapidly.
The skyrocketing growth of dementia is occurring because the general population is living longer, and the longer people live, the more likely dementia will occur, Bitan said.
If the epidemic of Alzheimer’s continues to increase at the existing rate, it will eventually cause Medicare to go bankrupt, Bartzokis said.
“The more old, demented people we have in the population, the harder the life of everyone becomes because it is a tremendous burden on society both financially and emotionally,” Bitan said.
But students can take action that may help delay the onset of such diseases while researchers are working on ways to find effective prevention methods, Bitan said.
Though Alzheimer’s disease is growing rapidly, UCLA researchers said all students could help the well-being of our future human population simply by taking preventative measures while they are young to stop the onset of dementia-related disorders later in life by most importantly nurturing the brain.
“Your brain is what makes you a unique individual, so definitely take care of your brain,” Bitan said.