Ben Parris is Professor of Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience in the School of Psychology at Bournemouth University. He is also a co-founder of the university’s Center for Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Research
Your cognitive health may gradually decline. It’s not like a bad back or a bad knee that gives you a ton of gypsy trouble once it goes wrong. You may suddenly find that your mind isn’t as sharp as it once was.
You may notice that it becomes more difficult to hold conversations, remember phone numbers, and perform daily tasks such as going to the store. This is a result of your frontal lobes starting to shrink, which happens to all of us as we age, albeit at different rates.
This part of the brain, located behind our forehead, is home to our executive functions—our ability to plan, organize, focus, and interact with the world around us. It’s not the same as dementia, although the disease speeds up the process.
While the frontal lobes do eventually deteriorate, as a professor and researcher who studies cognitive decline, I have found that the frontal lobes are still in good shape in people in their 60s and older.
The key to keeping your mind sharp as you age is to notice when your frontal lobes shrink. If you’re aware, there are things you can do to slow it down. Here are the signs you’re experiencing this, and what you can do about it. I’ve also written a series of tests so you can test how your brain is aging, which you can access below.
1. You can’t multitask
The first sign of declining cognitive health may be difficulty switching between tasks, such as talking to someone while cooking.
You may notice that you have a hard time replying to someone’s comment because you’re still thinking about what to do next in the recipe.
The sharpness that once existed has loosened somewhat. The tasks are so mixed together that you lose focus and take some time to adjust.
This indicates a problem with your cognitive flexibility, or your ability to switch between different tasks and stay focused. This represents one of the more difficult tasks we engage in every day, so it may be the first ability you notice is deteriorating.
Second’
‘
In extreme cases, people may be stirring the pot and when they turn around to talk to someone, they are still in the stirring motion but don’t have a spoon in their hands.
2. You skip words in sentences
We all mix up words sometimes, especially when we are tired or upset. However, if you find yourself skipping words frequently, it could be a sign of cognitive decline.
For example, instead of saying “I’m just going to the store,” you might say, “I’m just going to the store.”
This may indicate a problem with your response inhibition, a cognitive function located in the frontal lobes. This is the skill we need to focus our attention and tune out irrelevant information.
Second’
‘
When you skip words like this, it means your brain failed to inhibit (or block) the last word in the sentence until it’s time to say it. This is a speech disorder that can be an early sign of dementia.
3. You mix up related words
Frequently confusing related words is another sign that your cognitive abilities aren’t at their best.
For example, if you want to say the word “fork,” it should come to mind, but when response inhibition is a problem, related words like “spoon” and “knife” may also surface.
If this part of our cognitive function continues to deteriorate, you may say words that are increasingly distant from the word you want to say, such as “plate,” or even “train” instead of “fork.” This is a sign of a misfire in the brain.
How often this happens and how close it is to the words you want to say can be used to determine the severity of cognitive decline.
4. Forgot to bring your wallet to the supermarket
If you realize you need to go to the store and buy some milk, your brain will quickly come up with a plan. Where is the nearest store? How will you get there? Do you have a payment method?
If your cognition is good, this requires little effort and you may not give these issues a second thought. However, if there is a problem with one of these components—for example, you forget a payment method—it indicates a malfunction in working memory, which is our ability to maintain and manipulate information.
Second’
‘
When you leave your home, you fail to maintain one of the key components of your mission. Such mental lapses become more common as we age and our frontal lobes shrink.
If this happens occasionally and doesn’t increase in frequency, there’s no need to worry. I have been known to drive to the supermarket and then walk home, forgetting that I had gotten out of the car because I was too busy thinking about other things.
However, if this happens more and more frequently, you may want to consider seeing your GP. This may be an early sign of dementia.
5. Walk around the store and find what you want
Forgetting what you need in the store and having trouble finding the items you want to buy are signs of cognitive decline.
You rely on short-term memory to remember what you need in the store, and spatial memory (the ability to understand your relationship to your surroundings) to find the products you need.
Second’
‘
If this part of your cognitive health is deteriorating, you may find yourself walking up and down the same aisle multiple times because you’ve forgotten which aisle you’ve walked down.
One famous study took patients to a shopping mall and gave them a list of items to buy, such as milk and newspapers. Those suffering from cognitive decline will walk back and forth multiple times, obtaining items in an illogical manner, following a disjointed path.
When to see your GP
If you have any of these symptoms and it seriously affects your ability to carry on with your normal life, or if you notice that your symptoms are getting worse, I would recommend seeing your GP.
If a loved one is concerned about your cognitive health, it’s worth making an appointment with your doctor even if you’re not, as you may have anosognosia, a lack of awareness of your cognitive decline. This is a common question.
While these symptoms may be signs of cognitive decline or dementia, they may also be caused by a stroke or tumor. The sooner you see your GP, the easier it will be to treat it.
If you are concerned, your doctor should refer you to your local hospital’s neuropsychology clinic. There, you may complete a battery of memory tests, such as the Stroop Task and the Corsi Block Tapping Test, and have an MRI to look for atrophy of the frontal lobes, which may indicate dementia or lesions, which may be evidence of a stroke.
How to protect your cognitive health
There are no hidden secrets when it comes to maintaining cognitive health. As far as we know, this is the same advice for staying healthy.
Professor Paris lists diet, exercise, drinking and socializing among lifestyle factors that influence our cognitive health – Heathcliff O’Malley for the Telegraph
Follow a healthy diet and exercise regime
Diet and exercise are two of the most important pillars your brain needs to focus on.
Following a healthy diet that includes plenty of green leafy vegetables, fish, nuts and berries has been shown to slow cognitive decline, thought to be because these foods contain nutrients such as folate and omega-3 fatty acids.
Weight training twice a week has been linked to reduced brain shrinkage and improved performance on memory tests, while aerobic exercise improves blood flow, including to the brain, promoting the development of new brain cells and protecting the organ from inflammation.
Don’t smoke and limit alcohol consumption
I always recommend cutting back on alcohol—and I drink only a few times a year myself—because studies show that drinking can cause parts of the brain to shrink in areas important for memory, and lead to poorer performance on cognitive tests. I also recommend quitting drinking alone because people think the only good thing about drinking is that it allows you to go out and socialize.
Read, learn new skills, do mental arithmetic and complete puzzles
Our frontal lobes can deteriorate, or deteriorate at an accelerated rate, due to lack of use, and challenging the brain has been linked to delayed cognitive decline. This could mean learning a new instrument or language, reading difficult books, doing calculations in your head instead of on your phone’s calculator, completing puzzles, or even watching a quiz show. They all play a role in keeping the brain young.
Spend time in nature and socialize
Spending time in nature is linked to better working memory, while engaging in conversation and social interaction has been shown to preserve our cognitive health for longer. Whether you’re having a conversation or planning a meeting with a loved one, you’re exercising these cognitive muscles.
as emily craig says
Illustration: Haley Jiang
Try full access to The Telegraph for free now. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus helpful tools and expert guidance on your money, health and holidays.
