STUDY: Peak Brain Health Hinges On 3 Factors — Exercise, Social Activity, Hobbies…

TRONDHEIM, Norway — What’s the best way to maintain peak brain health as we age? There are countless studies detailing ways to prevent cognitive decline, so scientists in Norway sought to simplify the science of managing strong brain health to three recommendations.“The keys to our nervous system are the gray and white matter,” says Hermundur Sigmundsson, a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology’s (NTNU) Department of Psychology, in a university release.
Gray matter is made up of nerve cells (neurons) and dendrites, while white matter works to facilitate contact between the cells (myelinated axons) and contributes to the transmission speed and distribution of the signals. If one can keep their white and gray matter “in shape,” cognition, thinking skills, and memory should function smoothly as well.
This report is something of a summation covering modern science’s current understanding of how best to cultivate robust brain health. The team at NTNU cite 101 references to prior articles in this latest theoretical perspective paper.
“Three factors stand out if you want to keep your brain at its best,” Prof. Sigmundsson adds.
The three identified keys to strong brain health are:

Simple, right? Let’s break down each factor a bit further.
Physical Activity
It’s common knowledge that spending all day on th …