6 Tips to Keep Your Brain Sharp

A study published almost a year ago in the journal Neurology held some surprising facts about age-related brain disorders, Dr. Mehmet Oz explained during a luncheon and discussion held last month in New York City called "Beautiful Minds: An Assessment of the Nation's Brain Health."

Called the Nun Study, researchers gathered long-term data on more than 600 nuns in Minnesota and found that 21 percent of study participants that had lesions and plaques in their brains -- key markings of memory disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer's -- and yet lived their lives with no outward signs of disease.

The nuns that had signs of Alzheimer's but no symptoms of the disease had happier and more positive outlooks on life, were better linguistics and had better dietary and exercise habits.

"What this shows is that we can change our brains," Dr. Oz said. "It's not genetically programmed. ... The brain is plastic. We can do an awful lot to change how our brain functions."

Dr. Oz gave the following tips for keeping your brain sharp:

-- Do brain boosters.
-- Daydream.
-- Be optimistic.
-- Get lost on purpose.
-- Hit your threshold -- do the Sunday crossword, followed by intervals of intense exercise.
-- Take Algal DHA -- a vegetarian form of omega 3 fatty acids that is sold in over-the-counter in drug and health food stores.

Dr. Majid Fotuhi, the director of the Center for Memory and Brain Health, LifeBridge Health Brain and Spine Institute, Department of Neurology, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, said certain people have mastered how to tap into their brains' ability to rejuvenate, thwarting the aging process.

"The hippocampus shrinks with aging," said Fotuhi, who spoke at the luncheon with Dr. Oz. "There is a lot of plasticity and things like diabetes, obesity, sleep apnea, stroke and Alzheimer's really shrink the hippocampus."

But there are ways to keep the brain healthy even if someone is genetically predisposed to diseases such as Alzheimer's and dementia. The secret, said Fotuhi, is "tickling" the hippocampus, which plays an important role in long-term memory and is one of the first region's of the brain to suffer damage such as memory loss and disorientation due to Alzheimer's disease.

Fotuhi, who is a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology and an assistant professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, recommends the following activities to "tickle" and grow the hippocampus:

-- Tease and challenge your memory by memorizing phone and credit card numbers, and learning the names of people, as well as exotic fruits and plants.
-- Be creative.
-- Strengthen your heart by exercising and moving your body.
-- Laugh more often.
-- Eat smart. Fotuhi suggests lots of vegetables and a "Mediterranean-style" diet.

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