The brain is an organ that perceives, thinks, and acts, as explained by the Brain Institute. Like a control center, it controls the entire body. However, like all organs, the brain ages, which is why it is essential to take care of it to delay its aging as much as possible. Asked in the columns of the media SELF, Lara V. Marcuse, board-certified neurologist and co-director of the epilepsy program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA, revealed the habit she adopted to keep her brain in shape and limit its decline cognitive.
Acquiring a new skill: a habit that helps preserve your brain health
As the neurologist explains, “Indulging in an unfamiliar or even difficult hobby forces the brain to exercise new or rarely used neural pathways, which may thus help prevent cognitive decline, and even protect the brain from certain diseases like Alzheimer’s“. This is why she explains that she started playing the piano in her mid-40s. If the expert had difficulty absorbing this discipline at the beginning, “she absolutely does not regret having started, because it allows her to go into the smallest corners of her body and her mind” she indicates. Indeed, playing a musical instrument mobilizes all facets of the brain. This stimulates the cerebral cortex, the areas of the brain involved in memory function. This is what British researchers recently confirmed in a study which demonstrated that playing a musical instrument helped to preserve mental health.
According to Dr. Marcusse, many activities such as tai chi, painting, learning a new language or the meaning of tarot cards help stimulate the brain. The most important thing is to find one that you enjoy and that has a certain level of challenge, because although mastering a new skill can be difficult, it is beneficial for the brain.
To integrate this new habit into your daily life, it is essential to practice it “every day, even if you don’t do it for long” explains the expert. Indeed, regular training of the brain helps to stimulate cognitive processes, because the nervous envelope which covers the neurons which we call “myelin sheath” thickens, and when it thickens, it helps the brain transmit and process information more efficiently.
Sources:
- I’m a Neurologist. Here’s the One Thing I Do Every Day for My Long-Term Brain Health – SELF – February 14, 2024
- Understanding the brain, its development, its functioning, its plasticity and pathologies – Institut du Cerveau