Regular blood tests are a valuable tool for keeping tabs on your overall health. These tests can reveal important information about your blood cells, iron levels (ferritin), cholesterol, kidney and liver function, blood sugar levels, and thyroid health. Any deviations from normal ranges can signal issues with blood circulation, which is crucial for overall wellness. High blood sugar and cholesterol, in particular, have been linked to brain health and also significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
It’s wise to start with a check-up at your GP and then agree on the frequency of future tests. Keeping track of these factors can help you stay ahead of potential health issues.
The GetBrainHealthy tool provides Quizzes that serve as opportunities for introspection, inviting you to reflect on your daily life,
how you interact with the world, and identify steps you can take to boost your brain health.
The quizzes serve as a guide to foster greater awareness of brain health,
but they are not designed to replace the expertise of medical professionals or mental health professionals.
If you need further support or specialised advice, we strongly encourage you to seek assistance
from local healthcare providers.
All quizzes have been designed based on scientific evidence from two streams of research.
The first stream of research has identified optimal conditions for high cognitive performance, such as the absence of stress or individual preferences on how to learn new material. The second stream of research has identified protective and risk factors for maintaining cognitive functioning up to advanced ages.
By reflecting on the factors presented in the quizzes, we invite you to gain a deeper understanding of
the drivers of our everyday and long-term cognitive performance. We then suggest actions to address any
barriers or challenges you may identify during the reflection.
GetBrainHealthy forms the practical application of the CRISP project’s findings
Funded by the European Research Council (ERC), the CRISP project (grant agreement no. 803239), led by Prof. Dr. Anja Leist, focuses on social and behavioural determinants of cognitive ageing and dementia, investigating the interplay of inequalities, education, and sex/gender with risk factors for dementia with sophisticated statistical models.
CRISP and parallel efforts of other research groups have, over the last years, consolidated evidence on how to improve brain health and reduce the risk of dementia, for example, the large contribution of modifiable risk factors for cognitive impairment and dementia in men and women, which are suggested to contribute 40% of all dementia cases.
Investigating how changes in neighbourhood socioeconomic disadvantage affect cognitive decline, we found that changes in depressive symptoms, social networks (size of close social networks), and levels of physical activity substantially mediated these associations.
A healthy lifestyle may even partly offset the genetic risk of developing dementia, which is characterised by being physically active, eating a balanced diet, and drinking only moderate amounts of alcohol.
Workplace factors directly influence individuals’ stress, cognitive, and social stimulation levels over extended periods of time as well as associated (income) benefits, and these factors are highly relevant to contributing to the risk of dementia. In our study investigating psychosocial work characteristics, high perceived control at work was associated with more favourable cognitive trajectories. We must now ensure that this consolidated scientific knowledge is translated and communicated.
