When does the brain start to decline?

Our mental abilities start to go at a younger age than thought, a researcher has found.

Age 22 is when the brain peaks in terms of the speed of thoughts, ability to reason and visual problem solving ability, psychology professor Timothy Salthouse of the University of Virginia reported in the April issue of the journal Neurobiology of Aging.


"Some aspects of age-related cognitive decline begin in healthy educated adults when they are in their 20s and 30s," Salthouse concluded.


In the study, Salthouse looked at 2,000 healthy people aged 18 to 60 for an average of seven years.


Test scores started going downhill at age 27, he found.


But vocabulary skills and general knowledge actually improved until age 60.


Study participants solved problems, recalled words and story details and were asked to find patterns in letters and symbols tests like those used to spot signs of dementia.

In other words, that old adage about "If you don't use it you're going to lose it" applies to our brain fitness much earlier in our lives than previously thought.

So what can you do today, especially if you are beyond the ripe old age of 27, to not only prevent cognitive decline but enhance cognitive performance?

Their are four or five areas of attention which require regular effort on our part in order for our brains to stay sharp.

Alvaro Fernandez at Sharp Brains says that the four pillars of brain fitness involve good nutrition, stress management, novel learning challenges, and physical exercise.

Simon Evans, Ph.D. and Paul Burghardt, Ph.D. add in the area of sleep to the above list.

If we take care of getting our brains the nutritional ingredients they need and provide the intellectual stimulation, our brains will continue to grow new synapses and dendrites, our brains will incorporate new neurons (neurogenesis) into existing neuronal circuits, which offsets the neuronal deaths that happen every day from ordinary wear and tear, let alone tax season, and if we provide novel challenge, like learning a new language for example, a new instrument, or any new topic, our brains will very easily handle what Professor Salthouse describes in his work.

If we do not provide novel learning experiences to our brains, they will prune new neurons and synapses to utilize resources somewhere else. So learn something today.

Perhaps the most important part of keeping brains at their best is physical exercise.Home made high intensity interval training with equipment as simple as a balance ball, which gets you breathing at least deep enough to make it hard to talk or even sing while exercising, will keep your neurogenesis strong, offsetting the declines Professor Salthouse notes.

Our brains are the most energy intensive organ we have, and they do not store energy, so energy and nutrients have to constantly be supplied to neurons, and exercise gets extra blood with its nutrients to the brain, and helps brains increase the number of available blood vessels.

The body will build what we need, and pare what is not being used.

Nutrition must include eating lots of fruit and vegetables, vine ripened, hopefully locally grown, which contain anti-oxidants, phytochemicals, fiber, minerals, and vitamins. Try blue berries.

If you need supplements, a good multi-vitamin and definitely omega 3's are mandatory to keep neurons healthy, and connecting away.

Lots of important consolidation and hormonal activity happens in our brains when we are sleeping, and if you shorten your sleep unnecessarily, then those consolidations are not completed and brain deficits happen. So get your sleep.

Last but not least, there are a number of brain fitness programs available which stimulate neurons in novel ways.

Take advantage of them to help keep your brain going full tilt until it is way older than 27. Some of the research on those programs is nothing short of miraculous!.

Use them sitting at your computer before and after your work out, your nap, and your big salad full of colorful vegetables, and then send a note to Professor Salthouse about your progress.