Strengthening The Aging Brain
By Cameron, BSc Neuroscience
The processes of aging in the brain may result in the natural decline of many of the brains capacities. These capacities may include important abilities like our executive function. Executive functions include broad categories such as: Working memory, Inhibitory control, and Cognitive flexibility, which may decline in their efficiency as the brain naturally ages. Fortunately, adopting certain behaviours may help improve cognitive function and healthy aging (Sorrell, 2021) What are the behaviours that have the potential to promote these capabilities in the aging brain? Engaging in playful activities may be a simple and effective answer to this problem. Play, consists of many behaviours that can contribute to healthy aging and promoting upkeep of executive functions. But what does ‘play’ entail? And how exactly does it help?
Play (and playfulness) has been described as a characteristic of individuals that is not innate, but rather, springs from the social environment, along with the connections and experiences formed within. The social environment, which is capable of exhibiting the nature of play, can be generally thought of as containing the characteristics of a non-coercive social group, that values individual autonomy, or competence (Dobbins et al., 2020) These play behaviours formed by an appropriate social environment result in the promotion of a variety of processes. Some may translate to healthy behaviours in the individual, while others may enhance beneficial processes in the brain, or both! Studies have shown that positive social connections are suspected to nullify some of the brains natural cognitive decline. Social connections can also reduce loneliness, which may be objective or subjectively experienced. Interestingly, loneliness is reported as being unhealthier for the aging brain, than smoking 15 cigarettes a day, or obesity (Piolatto et al., 2022) In addition, positive social connections are capable of providing some other interesting benefits, such as improving sleep quality or reducing chronic stress due to insufficient social relations (Seol et al., 2021) Play, then, arises from an appropriate social environment. The social connections involved in play, work against the natural decline of an aging brain. But how do we know that these benefits are from play? And not just a result of positive social connections?
Certainly positive social connections are already beneficial by themselves. However, the element of play, when added to such already beneficial activities, seemingly improves, or even adds, to their already existing effects. In a type of play called, exergaming, which may be solitary, or group based. It was shown that when compared to similar activities without games, participating in the games increased frontal cortex activity consistently. This activity may help to promote working memory, as such activity is normally associated with attentional control processes (Müller et al., 2023) Additionally, other benefits provided from play appear to improve more subjective aspects of life. Play has been linked to enhancing such concepts like: Improved self-concept, improved self-efficacy, well-being, communication, and social support (Dobbins et al., 2020)
As a brief recap. Play emerges in an environment that allows the individuals partaking in it to form positive social connections and display competence at the tasks at hand. The effects of social connections, and activities the individual partakes in, may be enhanced by play to reinforce existing benefits, or provide new ones altogether. These benefits may be more physical, like increased brain activity, or more abstract, such as improved self-image and well-being. These benefits are also contained within the umbrella term of executive functions and the broad categories therein.
Interested in learning more? Join us on 10:00AM – 11:00AM every Thursday starting February 15th until March 7th at 1904 13 Avenue North in the Nord-Bridge Flex Room to learn more about strengthening the brain and enhancing brain function!
REFERENCES
Dobbins, R., Hubbard, E., Flentje, A., Dawson-Rose, C., & Leutwyler, H. (2020). Play provides social connection for older adults with serious mental illness: A grounded theory analysis of a 10-week exergame intervention. Aging & Mental Health, 24(4), 596-603. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2018.1544218
Müller, H., Baumeister, J., Bardal, E.M., Vereijken, B., Skjæret-Maroni, N. (2023). Exergaming in older adults: the effects of game characteristics on brain activity and physical activity. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 15:1143859. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1143859
Piolatto, M., Bianchi, F., Rota, M., Marengoni, A.., Akbaritabar, A., & Squazzoni, F. (2022). The effect of social relationships on cognitive decline in older adults: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal cohort studies. BMC Public Health, 22:278. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12567-5
Sargu, V. (2017). [Photograph] https://unsplash.com/photos/two-men-playing-chess-ItphH2lGzuI
Seol, J., Lee, J., Nagata, K., Fujii, Y., Tateoka, K., Inoue, T., Liu, J., & Okura, T. (2021). Combined effect of daily physical activity and social relationships on sleep disorder among older adults: cross sectional and longitudinal study based on data from the Kasama study. BMC Geriatrics, 21:623. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02589-w
Sorrell, J.M. (2021). The Aging Brain: Can Cognitive Decline Be Reversed? Journal of Psychosocial Nursing & Mental Health Services, 59(7), 13-16. https://doi.org/10.3928/02793695-20210611-03