Overview

The science behind GetBrainHealthy

The brain is the most complex organ of us humans – composed of dozens of billions of connected neurons and other important cell types, all carrying out different functions to keep the brain working healthily. Of course, the science behind the protective and risk factors of healthy, unimpaired cognitive functioning is also very complex. While we cannot fully predict who will stay cognitively healthy and who will be affected by premature or pathological cognitive ageing, we know a lot about how to create the best conditions for the brain that make it more likely to maintain healthy cognitive functioning.

The scientific fields informing GetBrainHealthy

GetBrainHealthy is a collection from many fields of science.

  • First, we build on knowledge from neuroscience, neuropsychology, biopsychology, and psychophysiology. These disciplines have brought together evidence on the different domains of cognitive functioning, which are the determinants of optimal cognitive training in the domains of learning, recall, attention (focus), spatial navigation, and others. There is much consolidated research on how stress, fatigue or overstimulation affect cognition and which are the ideal environments for humans to perform optimally in terms of cognition.
  • Second, the fields of epidemiology, public health and related fields have consolidated evidence on the risk factors for cognitive ageing and dementia; these fields have described on a population level the characteristics and behaviours of people who maintain healthy cognition until very advanced older ages, compared to people who cognitive age prematurely or show pathological cognitive ageing up to the development of cognitive impairment and dementia (Livingston et al., 2020).
  • Third, psychology and behavioural economics have shaped our understanding of how people stop, start and maintain new behaviours, think of smoking cessation or lead a healthier lifestyle. Based on epidemiology and public health insights, we know which risk factors should be reduced or eliminated and which protective factors should be promoted. The process of adopting new behaviours and letting go of old ones can be supported by insights from psychology on how we respond to stimuli, automate behaviours or feel motivated to lead a healthier lifestyle. It is important to note that we have limited resources to change several behaviours at once – the self-regulation necessary for behaviour change consumes lots of energy, and once this energy is depleted, we risk falling back into old behaviours. So we need to set small goals of changing one behaviour at a time, and only after this behaviour change is consolidated through practice, can we move to the next behaviour we wish to change (Muraven & Baumeister, 2000). For behaviour change to be effective, we also need to think about when and where to do the new behaviours and plan in advance how to overcome barriers (Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006).

What the brain does

A few of the brain’s extraordinary capacities that will help understand the science behind GetBrainHealthy:

  • The human brain is characterised by neuroplasticity, meaning new neuronal networks can grow and reorganise themselves (Münte, Altenmüller & Jäncke, 2002). They can take over new functions or those of other neuronal networks that may have been damaged or lost. This process is like a rewiring process by changing how much the existing connections (synapses) between neurons are used, but also by developing new connections. This changing of the activity patterns of the neuronal networks needs external stimulation, such as phases where we expose ourselves to new material we wish to learn and memorise. This is a doable, but not a trivial, process for the brain. Ideally, we want to create ideal conditions for this process to be unaffected and efficient. You can find our tips on learning in the dimensions of focus (link) and memory (link). (link to motivation, “Why get brain healthy”?)
  • The human brain, linked to the above term of neuroplasticity, develops as a response to stimulation. Being exposed to cognitive stimulation over extended periods of time increases the so-called cognitive reserve, a theoretical concept to describe that the complexity and efficiency of neural networks improve, and brain pathology can be compensated by using, e.g. alternative neural networks (Stern, 2009; Stern et al., 2020; DeJong et al., 2023). Today, we know that meaningful social interactions serve as a kind of cognitive stimulation. The most important environments for extended cognitive stimulation are education and the workplace, especially if working in professional and managerial occupations. Leisure activities can also be cognitively stimulating if they go along with cognitive or social stimulation (Scarmeas & Stern, 2003).
  • The brain is like a muscle consuming energy, in fact, a substantial part of the energy we take up. The brain needs about 20% of the energy uptake in adults – and even up to half of the absolute energy intake in the first years of life. Like a muscle, the right composition of foods and a steady (but not too high) delivery of glucose is vital to keep the brain functioning properly (Raffaitin et al., 2009; Yaffe et al., 2004). You can find our tips on nutrition in the dimension body (link).
  • Like a muscle, the brain will exhaust from overstimulation and overexertion. Just like a muscle, the brain will need time to restore its functions. This means, among other processes, clearance processes called autophagy, which occur during sleep. You can find our tips on sleep hygiene in the dimension body (link).
  • What scientists call cognitive functioning are the processes of thinking, remembering, problem-solving, in short, navigating through our world. These processes work more efficiently in supporting us to navigate the world if our mental health and emotional wellbeing are in the normal range of human experience. Our tips on how to improve social connectedness and decrease loneliness (Rafnsson et al, 2020), both useful as favourable stimulation for the brain and for managing emotions, are in the dimension of social (here).
  • Emotional well-being is important as a condition for healthy cognition. Our tips on how to decrease stress (Pittenger & Duman, 2008), understand depressive mood, and improve emotional well-being can be found here (link to well-being dimension).

The dimensions of GetBrainHealthy

The seven dimensions of GetBrainHealthy are our understanding of important and malleable domains of cognitive functioning and domains of life that are vital for humans and particularly relevant as sources to protect and promote cognitive functioning.

The brain’s ability to interact with our world:

  • Focus – the ability to concentrate on a task and condition to all meaningful interactions with the world
  • Memory – a vital skill set to encode, store and recall new material, essential for our managing of daily routines and complex cognitive and social tasks
  • Skills – transversal capacity to protect both our everyday cognitive functioning and our brain health over time up to advanced older ages; these skills will support us in getting better at many of the individual dimensions.

Domains of life vital to promote and protect cognition:

  • Social connectedness – a dimension with relevant skills to increase our sense of social connectedness through meaningful interactions with other people, an important protective factor in our daily lives
  • A healthy body – nutrition, sleep, physical activity and other behaviours related to bodily functioning and comfort that are vital for healthy cognition
  • Emotional well-being – absence (or minimal presence) of stress, depression, or mental health problems, and presence of balanced change between activation and relaxation are conditions for healthy cognition
  • Workplace environment – We have collected research on how workplace characteristics affect brain health and cognitive ageing. GetBrainHealthy specifically addresses which conditions we can create in the work environment to protect and promote brain health – as many people spend much of their waking time at the workplace over years and decades, this is the domain of life where changes can be very impactful and effective.

How to Cite This Page

GetBrainHealthy (2024). Overview. The science behind the seven dimensions of GetBrainHealthy. https://getbrainhealthy.org/science-behind/overview/

Scientific References

On psychological insights for behaviour change:
  • Muraven, M., & Baumeister, R. F. (2000). Self-regulation and depletion of limited resources: Does self-control resemble a muscle?. Psychological bulletin, 126(2), 247.
  • Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta‐analysis of effects and processes. Advances in experimental social psychology, 38, 69-119.
An overview on the 13 risk factors for dementia:
  • Livingston, G., Huntley, J., Sommerlad, A., Ames, D., Ballard, C., Banerjee, S., … & Mukadam, N. (2020). Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission. The Lancet, 396(10248), 413-446.
On loneliness and dementia:
  • Rafnsson, S. B., Orrell, M., d’Orsi, E., Hogervorst, E., & Steptoe, A. (2020). Loneliness, social integration, and incident dementia over 6 years: Prospective findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 75(1), 114-124.
On metabolic risk factors for cognition and dementia:
  • Raffaitin, C., Gin, H., Empana, J. P., Helmer, C., Berr, C., Tzourio, C., … & Barberger-Gateau, P. (2009). Metabolic syndrome and risk for incident Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia: the Three-City Study. Diabetes care, 32(1), 169-174.
  • Yaffe, K., Blackwell, T., Kanaya, A. M., Davidowitz, N., Barrett-Connor, E., & Krueger, K. (2004). Diabetes, impaired fasting glucose, and development of cognitive impairment in older women. Neurology, 63(4), 658-663.
On the beneficial effects of cognitive and social stimulation for cognition:
  • Stern, Y. (2009). Cognitive reserve. Neuropsychologia, 47(10), 2015-2028.
  • Stern, Y., Arenaza‐Urquijo, E. M., Bartrés‐Faz, D., Belleville, S., Cantilon, M., Chetelat, G., … & Reserve, Resilience and Protective Factors PIA Empirical Definitions and Conceptual Frameworks Workgroup. (2020). Whitepaper: Defining and investigating cognitive reserve, brain reserve, and brain maintenance. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 16(9), 1305-1311.
  • Scarmeas, N., & Stern, Y. (2003). Cognitive reserve and lifestyle. Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology, 25(5), 625-633.
  • DeJong, N. R., Jansen, J. F., van Boxtel, M. P., Schram, M. T., Stehouwer, C. D., Dagnelie, P. C., … & Köhler, S. (2023). Cognitive resilience depends on white matter connectivity: The Maastricht Study. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 19(4), 1164-1174.
On the harmful effects of stress and depression for neuroplasticity:
  • Pittenger, C., & Duman, R. S. (2008). Stress, depression, and neuroplasticity: a convergence of mechanisms. Neuropsychopharmacology, 33(1), 88-109.
On neuroplasticity when learning:
  • Münte, T. F., Altenmüller, E., & Jäncke, L. (2002). The musician’s brain as a model of neuroplasticity. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 3(6), 473-478.
You can find more educational material on the brain here:

External Links

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Overview
Focus
Memory
Skills
Social
Work Environment
Body
Emotional Wellbeing