Advancing a previous study that showed flashing light 40 times a second into the eyes of engineered mice treated their version of alzheimer's disease, researchers added sound of a similar frequency and found it dramatically improved their results. "When we combine visual and auditory stimulation for a week, we see the engagement of the prefrontal cortex and a very dramatic reduction of amyloid," says li-huei tsai, one of the researchers from MIT's picower institute for learning and memory.What is cognitive learning definition

Several years ago, tsai discovered light flickering at a frequency of about 40 flashes a second had similar benefits in mice engineered to build up amyloid in their brain's nerve cells. "The result was so mind-boggling and so robust, it took a while for the idea to sink in, but we knew we needed to work out a way of trying out the same thing in humans," tsai told helen thomson at nature at the time.What is cognitive learning definition

Exposing their mouse subjects to just one hour of this monotonous buzz every day for a week led to a significant drop in the amount of amyloid build up in the auditory regions, while also stimulating those microglial cells and blood vessels. "What we have demonstrated here is that we can use a totally different sensory modality to induce gamma oscillations in the brain," says tsai.What is cognitive learning definition

Your liver manufactures most, about 80 percent, of the cholesterol your body requires, which in and of itself suggests your body cannot survive without it.What is cognitive learning definition the remaining 20% comes from your diet. However, dietary cholesterol is absorbed at a rate of 20% to 60% depending on the individual, and if you consume less, your body will compensate by making more and vice versa.What is cognitive learning definition

In order to be transported through your bloodstream, the cholesterol is encapsulated in a lipoprotein, which is where the terms LDL (low-density lipoprotein), HDL (high-density lipoprotein) and VLDL (very-low-density lipoprotein) come from.What is cognitive learning definition whether LDL is truly as hazardous as many in the medical community insist, however, is still up for debate.

According to harcombe, the notion that there is good (referring to HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol is incorrect, as technically LDL and HDL are not even cholesterol; they're carriers and transporters of cholesterol, triglycerides (fat), phospholipids and proteins. "LDL would more accurately be called the carrier of fresh cholesterol and HDL would more accurately be called the carrier of recycled cholesterol," harcombe explains.5

what is cognitive learning definition

Now, HDL is indeed beneficial in that it acts as a master manager, helping protect LDL against oxidation and transporting triglycerides and cholesterol in and out of the VLDL.What is cognitive learning definition in a healthy person, the LDL will be reabsorbed by the liver after about two days, where it gets broken up and recycled. As a general rule, a high-sugar diet will cause damaged ldls to rise, beneficial hdls to drop, triglycerides and, often, total cholesterol to rise.What is cognitive learning definition

Getting back to alzheimer’s, a number of studies have demonstrated the importance of higher cholesterol for the prevention of this devastating neurodegenerative disease.What is cognitive learning definition in 2014, a study6 in JAMA neurology investigated the impact of cholesterol levels on the deposition of beta-amyloid plaque in the brains of 74 seniors with a mean age of 78.What is cognitive learning definition three of them had mild dementia, 33 were clinically normal and 38 had mild cognitive impairment. As explained by the authors:7

Here, the researchers found that higher levels of HDL and lower levels of LDL were associated with a reduced risk for amyloid plaque deposits in the brain, and these findings were independent of age and presence of the APOE4 gene.What is cognitive learning definition study co-author dr. Charles decarli, a professor of neurology at UC davis and director of the UC davis alzheimer’s disease center, commented on the results:8

what is cognitive learning definition

Another study 10, 11 published in 2018 similarly came to a similar, although more complex, conclusion. In this study, the researchers evaluated the total cholesterol levels of participants in the framingham heart study at midlife (around the age of 40) and late-life (around the age of 75).What is cognitive learning definition they also assessed mean total cholesterol between midlife and late life, and the total change in cholesterol since midlife.

In related news, researchers at florida atlantic university’s (FAU) brain institute and vanderbilt university have proposed a new theory to help explain the link between cholesterol, beta-amyloid and alzheimer’s.What is cognitive learning definition the study,12 published in neurobiology of disease in july 2019, tracked the location and mobility of amyloid precursor protein to assess its function in neurons.What is cognitive learning definition

"In the case of more common sporadic alzheimer's disease, the highest genetic risk factor is a protein that is involved in cholesterol transportation and not this amyloid precursor protein for the study, [qi] zhang [ph.D., senior author and researcher at FAU brain institute] and collaborators genetically disrupted the interaction between cholesterol and amyloid precursor protein.What is cognitive learning definition

Neurons with an altered distribution of cholesterol exhibited swollen synapses and fragmented axons and other early signs of neurodegeneration. 'our study is intriguing because we noticed a peculiar association between amyloid precursor protein and cholesterol that resides in the cell membrane of synapses, which are points of contact among neurons and the biological basis for learning and memory,' said zhang.What is cognitive learning definition

In a remarkable study, it was found that alzheimer's patients have only 1/6 of the concentration of free fatty acids in the cerebrospinal fluid compared to individuals without alzheimer's.What is cognitive learning definition in parallel, it is becoming very clear that cholesterol is pervasive in the brain, and that it plays a critical role both in nerve transport in the synapse and in maintaining the health of the myelin sheath coating nerve fibers

what is cognitive learning definition

Indeed, I’ve previously written about how a ketogenic diet, high in healthy fats, helps protect against neurodegenerative diseases such as alzheimer’s.What is cognitive learning definition one of the most striking studies15 showing the effects of a high-fat/low-carb versus high-carb diets on brain health revealed that high-carb diets increase your risk of dementia by a whopping 89 percent, while high-fat diets lower it by 44 percent.What is cognitive learning definition

• triggers ketone production — A cyclical ketogenic diet will help you convert from carb-burning mode to fat-burning mode, which in turn triggers your body to produce ketones, an important source of energy (fuel) for your brain16 that have been shown to help prevent brain atrophy and alleviate symptoms of alzheimer's.17 they may even restore and renew neuron and nerve function in your brain after damage has set in.What is cognitive learning definition

Research24 by a biomedical research scientist on aging, rhonda patrick, ph.D., highlights the benefits of DHA bound to phospholipids — such as that found in krill oil — showing this particular form may actually reduce the risk of alzheimer’s in those with the APOE4 gene, which is thought to be present in about one-quarter of the population.What is cognitive learning definition

When the triglyceride form of DHA is metabolized, most of it turns into non-esterified DHA, while the phospholipid form is metabolized primarily into DHA-lysophosphatidylcholine (DHA-lysopc).What is cognitive learning definition while both of these forms can cross the blood-brain barrier to reach your brain, the phospholipid form does so far more efficiently. Patrick explains:26

what is cognitive learning definition

According to patrick, people with APOE4 have a faulty non-esterified DHA transport system, and this may be why they're at increased risk for alzheimer's.What is cognitive learning definition the good news is that DHA-lysopc can bypass the tight junctions, thereby improving DHA transport, and for those with one or two APOE4 variants, taking the phospholipid form of DHA may therefore lower their risk of alzheimer's more effectively.What is cognitive learning definition

"When looking at the effects of DHA on cognitive function in people with APOE4-related alzheimer's disease, it's important that researchers consider the effects of DHA in phospholipid form, especially from rich sources such as fish roe or krill, which can have as much as one-third to three-quarters of the DHA present in phospholipids," patrick says.27

what is cognitive learning definition

You can learn more about this in "recode: the reversal of cognitive decline," which includes my interview with him. In his book, "the end of alzheimer's: the first program to prevent and reverse cognitive decline,"28 which describes the complete protocol, you will also find a list of suggested screening tests and the recommended ranges for each test, along with some of bredesen's treatment suggestions.What is cognitive learning definition

Opting for organic produce will help you avoid synthetic pesticides and herbicides. Most will also benefit from a gluten-free diet, as gluten makes your gut more permeable, which allows proteins to get into your bloodstream where they sensitize your immune system and promote inflammation and autoimmunity, both of which play a role in the development of alzheimer's.What is cognitive learning definition

Replace refined carbs with healthy fats — diet is paramount, and the beauty of following my optimized nutrition plan is that it helps prevent and treat virtually all chronic degenerative diseases, including alzheimer's.What is cognitive learning definition it’s important to realize that your brain actually only needs 15% of its energy from carbs, which can easily be produced in your liver; ketones are far more important for optimal brain function.What is cognitive learning definition

As noted by perlmutter, lifestyle strategies such as a ketogenic diet can even offset the risk associated with genetic predisposition. (estimates suggest genetics account for less than 5 percent of alzheimer's cases.What is cognitive learning definition an estimated 75 million americans have the single allele for APOE4. It's unknown how many americans have the TOMM40 gene or others that may affect your risk.)

what is cognitive learning definition

Optimize your vitamin D, ideally through sensible sun exposure — sufficient vitamin D is imperative for proper functioning of your immune system to combat inflammation associated with alzheimer's.What is cognitive learning definition if you are unable to get sufficient amounts of sun exposure, take daily supplemental vitamin D3 to reach and maintain a blood level of 60 to 80 nanograms per milliliter.What is cognitive learning definition that said, it’s important to recognize that sun exposure is important for reasons unrelated to vitamin D.

Your brain responds to the near-infrared light in sunlight in a process called photobiomodulation.What is cognitive learning definition research shows near-infrared stimulation of the brain boosts cognition and reduces symptoms of alzheimer's, including more advanced stages of the disease.What is cognitive learning definition delivering near-infrared light to the compromised mitochondria synthesizes gene transcription factors that trigger cellular repair, and your brain is one of the most mitochondrial-dense organs in your body.What is cognitive learning definition

Curcumin supplementation — research31,32 published last year suggests curcumin supplementation may lower your risk of alzheimer’s by improving memory and focus.What is cognitive learning definition the double-blind, placebo-controlled study, published in the american journal of geriatric psychiatry, included 40 adults between the ages of 50 and 90 who reported mild memory lapses.What is cognitive learning definition

Those who received curcumin saw significant improvements in memory and concentration, while the control group experienced no improvement. PET scans confirmed the treatment group had significantly less amyloid and tau buildup in areas of the brain that control memory, compared to controls.What is cognitive learning definition overall, the curcumin group improved their memory by 28 percent over the year-and-a-half-long treatment period.

Curcumin has also been shown to increase levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF),33 and reduced levels of BDNF have been linked to alzheimer's disease.What is cognitive learning definition yet another way curcumin may benefit your brain and lower your risk of dementia is by affecting pathways that help reverse insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia and other symptoms associated with metabolic syndrome and obesity.34

what is cognitive learning definition

Avoid and eliminate mercury from your body — dental amalgam fillings are one of the major sources of heavy metal toxicity; however, you should be healthy before having them removed.What is cognitive learning definition once you have adjusted to following the diet described in my optimized nutrition plan, you can follow the mercury detox protocol and then find a biological dentist to have your amalgams removed.What is cognitive learning definition

Statin drugs are particularly problematic because they suppress the synthesis of cholesterol, deplete your brain of coenzyme Q10, vitamin K2 and neurotransmitter precursors, and prevent adequate delivery of essential fatty acids and fat-soluble antioxidants to your brain by inhibiting the production of the indispensable carrier biomolecule LDL.What is cognitive learning definition

Increased peroxynitrite production from cellphone exposure will damage your mitochondria, stem cells, DNA, cell membranes and proteins.36,37 your brain is the most mitochondrial-dense organ in your body.What is cognitive learning definition increased peroxynitrite generation has also been associated with increased levels of systemic inflammation by triggering cytokine storms and autonomic hormonal dysfunction.What is cognitive learning definition

Optimize your sleep — sleep is necessary for maintaining metabolic homeostasis in your brain. Without sufficient sleep, neuron degeneration sets in, and catching up on sleep during weekends will notprevent this damage.38,39,40 it is very clear this is one of the most important and overlooked areas and many fail to integrate this into their lifestyle.What is cognitive learning definition

Challenge your mind daily — mental stimulation, especially learning something new, such as learning to play an instrument or a new language, is associated with a decreased risk of dementia and alzheimer's.What is cognitive learning definition researchers suspect that mental challenge helps to build up your brain, making it less susceptible to the lesions associated with alzheimer's disease."