What you can do to prevent Alzheimer's | Lisa Genova

Regularly, when they died, their brains were donated for autopsy. In some of these brains, scientists discovered something surprising. Despite the presence of plaques, tangles, and brain shrinkage (conclusive evidence of the disease), the nuns to whom the brains belonged showed no symptoms of the disease while they were alive. How could this happen? We think it's because these nuns had a higher level of cognitive reserve, which is a way of saying they had more active synapses. People who have spent longer in formal education, who are highly acculturated, and who constantly participate in activities that stimulate the brain have a higher percentage of cognitive reserve.

They have a large number of synapses. So even if they have a disease like Alzheimer's, which affects some of their synapses, they still have many extra supporting synapses, and this

prevent

s them from noticing any abnormalities. Let's imagine a simplified example. Let's say you only know one thing about something. Let's say it's about me. You know Lisa Genova wrote Still Alice and that's the only thing you know about me. You only have one synapse. Now imagine that you have Alzheimer's. You have plaques, synapses, inflammation, and glial cells that consume that synapse. When someone asks you who wrote "Still Alice," you can't remember because that synapse is deteriorating or has been lost.

You have forgotten me forever. But

what

if you knew more about me? Let's say you've learned four things about me. Now imagine that you have Alzheimer's and three of those synapses are damaged or destroyed. You still have a way to avoid the debris. You can still remember my name. So we can be resilient to the presence of Alzheimer's if we find ways to stay healthy. We create these forms, this cognitive reserve, by learning new things. We prefer these new things to be as meaningful as possible, a combination of seeing, hearing and feeling. So it's not really about solving crossword puzzles.

You don't want to simply retrieve information you've already learned, because it's like navigating old, familiar streets, or navigating neighborhoods you already know. You have to pave the way for new synapses. Developing an Alzheimer's-resistant brain means learning to speak Italian, meeting new friends, reading a book, or listening to a great TED talk. And if, despite all this, you are one day diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, I have learned three lessons from my grandmother and those I know who live with the disease. A diagnosis doesn't mean you're going to die tomorrow. Keep living. You will not lose your emotional memory.

You will still be able to feel love and happiness. You may not remember

what

I said five minutes ago, but you will remember how I made you feel. And you are more than you can remember. Thank you all. (applause)