A 2012 study entitled The ageing cortical synapse: hallmarks and implications for cognitive decline (by John H. Morrison & Mark G. Baxter) postulates the breakthrough idea that mental decline might be related to stress, anxiety and hormonal changes rather than neuronal changes in the brain. The authors go on to suggest that cognitive impairment should be treated as a systemic problem, rather than a localized condition of the prefrontal cortex, for example.
To quote the paper itself: “The data on the effects of stress and sex steroids on the ageing brain and cognition… make it clear that the brain cannot be viewed in isolation with respect to the neurobiological basis of cognitive decline. Given the impact of menopause on women’s health, as well as the requirements to maintain optimal executive function in the face of stressful conditions, future work should target the nature of these interactions with an eye towards interventions that might be behavioural as well as pharmaceutical. “
The research was conducted in monkeys and rodents, but the implications for human cognition are significant.
The link between stress and mental decline needs a lot more research… but for aging boomers, in particular, finding ways to reduce stress and normalize cortisol seems like a very prudent thing to do.
Meditation, massage therapy, supplementation to normalize cortisol (p-serine is a good place to start), and any number of relaxation techniques will help reduce stress and anxiety and that’s always, always a good thing.
NOTE: The use of formulations like Sanyx (MySanyx.com) to lower stress-induced cortisol can be a solid first step in mitigating the negative effects of stress and anxiety. This physician-developed stress mitigating compound is the first of its kind specifically formulated to reduce excess levels of stress-induced cortisol.
You can read the article at http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v13/n4/full/nrn3200.html
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