Cork expert: Nine ways to boost your brain health

Not long ago, it was thought that the brain grew in childhood, and once it reached maturity, it remained stable before deteriorating somewhat with age.

In other words, adult brains were unable to alter or change. We were stuck with whatever got wired during childhood or adolescence.

We now know that this view of the ‘static’ brain is out of date.

The power of the brain to change

Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to rewire itself. It is like walking through a wheat field. The first time, it’s hard work. The second time, it’s a little easier. And when it has been done several times, there is a clear pathway that can be crossed effortlessly.

With each new experience of learning, our brain will change either the structure of its neurons or increase the number of connections between them.

This allows neurons to receive information faster.

Neuroplasticity in practice

Scientific discoveries have revealed new information about how the brain works. And how we can use this knowledge to increase brain health, particularly as we age.

Nine factors described in my new book, Brain Health For Learning: What Neuroscience Brings To Education, co-authored with Dr Aimie Brennan, that help prevent cognitive decline are described using the acronym ‘L.I.F.E.S.T.Y.L.E.

That is

• Learning
• Interpersonal relationships
• Food
• Exercise
• Sleep
• Targets
• Yearning
• Liquids and
• Empathy.

Learning: This is what our brains do when we engage in something new and novel that takes us out of our comfort zone, which boosts the growth of new neurons.

Interpersonal relationships: The amount of social activity we maintain is critical for the health of our brains.

A highly social individual is more likely to be exposed to varied and complex experiences. Travelling and volunteering are two social behaviours identified that have a potential effect on brain health, by reducing the risk of dementia later in life.

Food: The brain’s fuel is a type of sugar called glucose. Neurons depend exclusively on glucose.

Recently, a brain scientist discovered the intimate relationship between the brain and the digestive system. The gut is our second brain.

The purpose of this gut-to-brain signalling, means that the brain receives information about what is going on in the gut.

The health of our gut influences the health of our brain. The bacteria in our gut thrive on food of different colours.

The rainbow principle of having three different coloured foods at each meal, slows down the aging process.

Exercise: Exercise in the form of physical activity increases blood flow to the brain and promotes our mental agility and alertness, as well as preventing the negative effects of chronic stress.

Active movement may help repair damaged neurons. Exercise releases chemicals like serotonin in the brain. This has a strong effect on mood, helping to reduce anxiety, stress and depression.

Sleep: This helps prime our brain to be receptive and alert.

The most recent insight on sleep is called the Repair Theory. It appears that the brain has its own self-cleaning drainage system. During sleep, the brain swells and the space between the neurons expands, thus toxic proteins are washed out of the brain during the night.

Failure to get enough sleep is linked to the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

Targets: Setting targets means we organise our priorities. This puts us on a path to focus on what we want to achieve. Setting targets that stretch us, but do not break us, produces a dopamine flow in the brain’s reward system, giving us an energy boost.

Yearning: This is how we think and feel about the future. If we really do believe that things will work out for the best, all setbacks become easier to accept.

Liquids: While the brain weighs only three pounds, it uses 20% of the body’s energy. The brain is 73% water. It provides a host of important internal functions, from transporting vital nutrients and vitamins, to improving mental alertness.

It is critical for our ability to concentrate and learn, and it needs to be replenished on a continuous basis.

Starting each day by drinking a glass of water kick starts the whole system for optimal functioning.

Empathy: This is considered by many as one of the most important skills for brain health. While we are born hard-wired with the capacity for empathy, its development requires experience and practice.

As far as the brain is concerned, empathy is both a trait and a skill. It is in childhood that we learned about this. We tend to care about other people and ourselves the way we were first cared for as children.

The science of neuroplasticity assures us that the brain changes with experience; therefore, empathy should be taught to children in school.

In conclusion, if the brain is about our thinking and education is about our learning, then surely both have something powerful to say about our brain health.

Brain Health For Learning: What Neuroscience Brings To Education, by Dr Denis Staunton, retired UCC lecturer and Assistant Director of Adult & Continuing Education (ACE), and Dr Aimie Brennan, is available to order from Waterstones and on Amazon. It will be launched, as part of the Cork Lifelong Learning Festival 2025, by Dr Séamus Ó Tuama, Director of Adult Continuing Education, UCC, on Monday, April 7 at 4pm in The Student Hub UCC.

This will be followed by a public lecture at 5pm entitled ‘Prioritise Your Brain Health’.