The Transforming Brain What Science Says About Cognition and What You Can Do About It — Mariam Kavakcı

Cognitive decline can mean many things and it can take on many shapes Most of us for instance are at least vaguely familiar with diseases such as dementia The effects and consequences of these diseases have already been heavily codified in our collective consciousness We see it in movies Maybe we ve heard about it from our friends and relatives Some of us may even have direct experience caring for a loved one suffering from the effects of dementia But regardless of whether or not we ve had direct experience with someone with cognitive impairment we know that it can wreak havoc on not just the individuals but also their families and communities However cognitive decline can also mean something much less drastic It can look like something as innocuous as forgetting certain words or names or places or dates or forgetting where you put your keys or what you went to the grocery store for It can look like depression or withdrawal It can look like a lack of focus or attention Whether or not you re concerned about having dementia in the future the fact of the matter is that after a certain point in our lives all of our brains and their cognitive functions are going to get worse It s just a matter of when and how severe But there are things we can do to combat this to stave off the inevitable By taking control of your lifestyle you can take control of your cognitive health You can be your own cure for dementia

Cognitive decline can mean many things and it can take on many shapes Most of us for instance are at least vaguely familiar with diseases such as dementia The effects and consequences of these diseases have already been heavily codified in our collective consciousness We see it in movies Maybe we ve heard about it from our friends and relatives Some of us may even have direct experience caring for a loved one suffering from the effects of dementia But regardless of whether or not we ve had direct experience with someone with cognitive impairment we know that it can wreak havoc on not just the individuals but also their families and communities However cognitive decline can also mean something much less drastic It can look like something as innocuous as forgetting certain words or names or places or dates or forgetting where you put your keys or what you went to the grocery store for It can look like depression or withdrawal It can look like a lack of focus or attention Whether or not you re concerned about having dementia in the future the fact of the matter is that after a certain point in our lives all of our brains and their cognitive functions are going to get worse It s just a matter of when and how severe But there are things we can do to combat this to stave off the inevitable By taking control of your lifestyle you can take control of your cognitive health You can be your own cure for dementia

TAKE CARE OF YOUR BRAIN BE YOUR OWN CURE Cognitive decline can mean many things and it can take on many shapes Most of us for instance are at least vaguely familiar with diseases such as dementia The effects and consequences of these diseases have already been heavily codified in our collective consciousness We see it in movies Maybe we ve heard about it from our friends and relatives Some of us may even have direct experience caring for a loved one suffering from the effects of dementia But regardless of whether or not we ve had direct experience with someone with cognitive impairment we know that it can wreak havoc on not just the individuals but also their families and communities However cognitive decline can also mean something much less drastic It can look like something as innocuous as forgetting certain words or names or places or dates or forgetting where you put your keys or what you went to the grocery store for It can look like depression or withdrawal It can look like a lack of focus or attention Whether or not you re concerned about having dementia in the future the fact of the matter is that after a certain point in our lives all of our brains and their cognitive functions are going to get worse It s just a matter of when and how severe But there are things we can do to combat this to stave off the inevitable By taking control of your lifestyle you can take control of your cognitive health You can be your own cure for dementia