Actually, all human brains have wrinkles. In fact, the more wrinkles a brain has, the smarter that brain is. Our brain is a complex organ, a supercomputer with 86 billion neurons connecting 100 trillion synapses (connections between neurons)! We can store about 2000 years worth of MP3 music or about a quarter million DVDs in our brains! So, it makes sense to really look after this amazing organ.

A healthy brain requires a healthy body and a healthy heart. It also needs the basics – oxygen (a good, consistent level of physical activity to maintain blood flow to the brain), nutrients (a balanced and varied diet) and sufficient amount of good quality sleep. In fact, looking after the basics is beneficial in maintaining a healthy body and heart, adding life to your years, instead of simply years to your life.

Regular, physical activity is strongly associated with better brain function. Although nothing can be guaranteed to prevent dementia, regular exercise can reduce risk of cognitive decline. Just the simple act of walking has been shown to increase the size of the hippocampus, an area of the brain crucial to memory. Start slow and build up until you are active on most days of the week.  

A diet low in saturated fats and rich in vegetables, fruit, fish, grains, nuts, legumes (beans and peas) and lean meat such as (but not limited to) the Mediterranean diet is good for both heart and brain. Our hearts and brains are closely liked - research indicates that high cholesterol, untreated or poorly-managed diabetes and high blood pressure can damage blood flow to the brain and increase your risk of dementia.   

Sleep is another important basic. Research suggests that during sleep, our body detoxifies our brain, cleaning out waste that can damage neurons. Sleep also helps solidify memories, strengthening connections between neurons and moving information to permanent storage.

With the basics sorted, we now come to the saying “if you don’t use it, you lose it”. Although processing speed does slow as we age, believe it or not, a healthy mature brain is on par with younger ones in most other aspects. In fact, as we get older but remain healthy, the mature adults have a bigger vocabulary and better language skills than the young ones! To maintain this lean machine, we need to exercise it by challenging our brain with learning new skills or improving old ones, doing puzzles, playing strategy-based games or volunteering (which has the added benefit for the elderly of maintaining social interaction).

So, yes, let’s get out there, learn something new and enjoy what life has to offer with a brain that is more capable than you think!