Experts state that there are approximately 47 million individuals with dementia syndrome worldwide, and this number is expected to triple to 150 million people by 2050.
Associate Professor Merve Çebi, Head of the Psychology (English) Department, stating that there is cognitive aging to a certain extent even in healthy aging individuals without dementia syndrome, said, 'Approximately 35 percent of dementia cases stem from modifiable risk factors. By adopting a healthy lifestyle, even if we have a genetic predisposition, we can prevent or delay the onset of cognitive aging and dementia syndrome.'
Associate Professor Merve Çebi, Head of the Psychology (English) Department at Üsküdar University, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, evaluated the topic of aging happily and healthily.
150 million people with dementia expected by 2050
Associate Professor Merve Çebi stated that as people age, they try to avoid cognitive aging and dementia syndrome, adding that current global estimates suggest there are approximately 47 million individuals suffering from dementia syndrome, and this number is expected to triple to 150 million people by 2050.
Assistant Professor Merve Çebi, stating that there is cognitive aging to a certain extent even in healthy aging individuals without dementia syndrome, said, 'How does it happen? There can be slowness in information processing speed, mild memory problems, and attention problems. These are considered normal aging up to a certain level. So, why does such aging occur in our brain? Although we don't know the exact reason, we observe a decrease in neurons, a reduction in the connections between neurons, namely synapses, and consequently, our cortex thinning and brain volume shrinking, as well as reduced connectivity between different brain regions.'
Accepted within the limits of normal aging up to a certain extent
Assistant Professor Merve Çebi stated that these changes observed in the brain, including neuron deaths, and the temporal and spatial spread of neuropathological changes, are accepted within the limits of normal aging up to a certain extent. She added, 'Beyond a certain point, we see this evolving into pathological aging, into dementia syndrome. These changes are fundamentally observed as shrinkage in the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for executive mental functions, the hippocampus, which is responsible for long-term memory loss, and the temporal cortex, which is responsible for complex visual perception, language skills, and semantic memory. The hippocampus shrinks by one to two percent annually from the moment old age begins. We know that this rate is much higher in dementia syndrome, especially in Alzheimer's dementia.'
Approximately 35 percent of dementia cases stem from modifiable risk factors
Associate Professor Merve Çebi noted that there are many biological theories regarding why people age, stating, 'Approximately 35 percent of dementia cases stem from modifiable risk factors. By adopting a healthy lifestyle, even if we have a genetic predisposition, we can prevent or delay the onset of cognitive aging and dementia syndrome.'
How can we best protect our brain health with the factors at our disposal?
Associate Professor Merve Çebi also drew attention to the fact that there is no known treatment method for neurodegenerative diseases, explaining:
'All strategies aim to postpone symptoms, to slow them down. Consequently, we do not yet have a chance to cure it. So what will we do? How can we determine a healthy lifestyle? How can we best protect our brain health with the factors at our disposal? A hypothesis has been put forward. According to this hypothesis: adopting an active lifestyle and ensuring regular lifelong participation in specific activities postpones cognitive aging and dementia.
Intellectual and physical activities, along with social life, keep the brain young
These activities are: one, intellectual activities; two, physical activities; three, social life... Intellectual activity includes a high level of education. A demanding career that requires very complex mental and physical activity. Debates that tire and challenge our minds, mental games, puzzles, reading, learning new things, playing musical instruments – these are intellectual activities in the brain that require mental performance, mental effort, and create new neural connections. The second is physical exercise... Physical activities particularly nourish cardiovascular health and regulate blood flow. Consequently, neurons in the brain are nourished by blood flow. Activities that keep us physically active and mobile, such as dancing and gardening. The other category is social life... Traveling as much as possible, participating in quality social life with people in our lives.'
Less neuronal death observed in the brains of physically active individuals
Assistant Professor Merve Çebi noted that when comparing people leading more sedentary lives with those who are physically active, less neuronal death was observed in the brains of the physically active group. She explained that while cognitive aging and cell death are inevitable, the effects of aging can be reduced by intervening in cognitive reserve. In this context, intellectual capacity can be developed by pursuing education, social life can be enriched by increasing social interactions, and brain health can be supported by increasing physical activity levels.
A strong cognitive reserve allows better coping with disease symptoms
Associate Professor Merve Çebi stated that a strong cognitive reserve allows for better coping with disease symptoms in neurological diseases that damage the brain, such as Alzheimer's dementia, Parkinson's dementia, MS, and stroke. She said, 'In Alzheimer's dementia or other dementias, it ensures that clinical symptoms appear later. Not only in neurodegenerative or neurological diseases but also in unexpected life events, exposure to stress, toxic substances, head trauma, and all these life events, a stronger cognitive reserve enables us to cope more easily and actually enter a faster recovery process.'
There is a relationship between a high level of education and functional connectivity in the brain
Associate Professor Merve Çebi also stated that a relationship has been identified between a high level of education and functional connectivity in the brain. She said, 'Our intellectual capacity, mental engagement, physical activity level, and social life contribute to us regarding cognitive aging and dementia, both through brain structure and through the brain's connectivity, based on the cognitive reserve hypothesis.'
We should think about our 80s in our 20s
Associate Professor Merve Çebi stated that it is beneficial for older adults to learn to use technological devices to increase their cognitive reserve capacity. She concluded her remarks by saying, 'In fact, we need to progress towards old age by keeping our minds and bodies active from childhood. In our twenties, of course, none of us thought about our eighties, and we still don't, but we should. If we don't think about it now, by the time we reach sixty or seventy, we will have already lost a certain part of our brain, and there is no turning back from that.'