Attitude key to 'young' brain, researchers say

By Mike Morris, The Baltimore Sun
August 18, 2003

Guy McKhann and Marilyn Albert, two of the world's leading experts on brain research, have a theory why women tend to
live longer than men: They shop more.

Whether it's for clothes or groceries, shopping is a simple way to summarize what's good for the brain, say this
cerebral husband and wife. It combines three elements that allow the brain to function better: staying physically
active, challenging the brain, maintaining a positive self-image.

"Women go to the mall, and they have to walk around a lot, oftentimes carrying heavy bags. Secondly, they have to make
a lot of decisions: 'I have to compare this price with that,' 'Will this particular piece fit in my home?' 'I already
have a sweater, do I need another sweater?' So they have to make all of these decisions. And when they're all done,
they really feel good about themselves, like they've accomplished something," says McKhann, 70, professor of neurology
and director of the Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute at Johns Hopkins University.

"Men, on the other hand, are at home sitting in front of the television trying to help (their football team) along, and
that doesn't do any of the three."

McKhann and Albert were interested in what makes the elderly tick - why some live longer, more productive lives than
others. So in 1985 they began a 10-year study of 3,000 senior citizens. Their findings largely make up Keep Your Brain
Young (Wiley, $24.95), a reference book of sorts for how to keep the brain functioning in tip-top form.

"I think the average person has a great interest in keeping their mind younger," said Albert, 59, who recently left
Harvard Medical School to serve as a director of cognitive neuroscience at Hopkins.

The book is divided into three sections, the first showing how one successfully ages. The middle section illustrates
the relationship between the brain and body, while the last discusses serious diseases ranging from cancer to
Parkinson's.

Possessing a positive attitude and self-motivation, the authors found, could be what separates the average from those
who excel. "The most important thing is that individuals see a positive image of themselves. That they see themselves
as having a role to play, whether it's in their family or in the community," McKhann said.

McKhann and Albert are liv-ing proof that their advice works. While most people their ages are retiring, they continue
to balance busy ca-reers with their personal lives. He's the founding chairman of Hopkins's Department of Neurology and
has been a guest on 60 Minutes. Albert, 59, is the former director of the Gerontology Research Unit at Massachusetts
General Hospital and has appeared on the Today show.

The couple married in 1997 after working together off and on since the mid-'80s. They now live in Ruxton, Md., and
regularly walk, ride bikes and go to the gym together. Albert says she tries to incorporate exercise into her daily
life after being convinced of the benefits not only to the heart, but also the brain.

"Do whatever turns you on," McKhann says about exercis-ing. "Some people walk. Some people make it a point to go to
exercise classes. The most im-portant thing is to build it into your life in a regular way. And one of the things we
recommend to younger people, that they get into a pattern they can continue. It's very hard if you've been sedentary,
say at the age of 75, to suddenly change the way you're going to lead your life, but if you've been doing that all
along it's much more easy to continue."

It's important not only to flex your biceps, but your brain as well, McKhann and Albert say. They recommend mental
activities that will challenge the mind - everything from crossword puzzles and reading to playing bridge and attending
lectures.

Keep Your Brain Young also focuses on a hot topic in the field of brain research: diet.

"This is an area we get asked about a lot. Is there a special diet you can eat that's going to make your brain function
a lot better than it is right now? The answer is no. I mean if we knew that, everybody would be on that diet. There is
no such diet," McKhann said.

There are, however, some things McKhann and Albert feel can prevent problems, with vitamin E leading the list. McKhann
said there's "pretty good" data that vitamin E, an antioxidant, may delay some of the normal changes in function
brought about by age as well as the onset of serious problems such as Alzheimer's disease.

Informing the public on these matters was the couple's primary goal in writing Keep Your Brain Young. While traveling
the country as part of a panel of brain experts for the AARP's "Staying Sharp" seminars, they found a public hungry for
brain-related informa-tion. This helped inspire the pair to write their book.

"We never envisioned that this is a book someone would read from cover to cover, but rather a book of reference;
something that a person would read a chapter at a time or for whatever information was needed at that particular time,"
Albert said.

Keep Your Brain Young is available at bookstores and online booksellers.
http://tinyurl.com/kc3o

Reference:

Keep Your Brain Young: The Complete Guide To Physical and Emotional Health and Longevity
http://www.dana.org/books/press/danabook/young/

SOURCE: GoMemphis.com, TN
http://tinyurl.com/kc3e

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