Samuel Kim - Department of Lifestyle and Mental Health
Being a couch potato may be more vegetative than expected. According to “Assessment of Bidirectional Relationships between Leisure Sedentary Behaviors and Neuropsychiatric Disorders: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study” by Qian He and others, sedentary lifestyle increases your risk of developing major neuropsychiatric diseases. The researchers viewed major depressive disorder, Alzheimer’s Disease, and schizophrenia within the lens of mental activity: being passive such as watching television or being active such as reading or completing a puzzle. Analysis in the study concluded that there was a noteworthy correlation between mental health and active lifestyles. The study also utilized genomics to minimize other environmental biases and found a direct correlation between an increase in mental passivity and major depressive disorder. In addition, the study found that those more susceptible to Alzheimer’s Disease and schizophrenia had decreased risk of having those disorders when spending more mentally active time on the computer.
Mentally active pursuits are intellectually straining which can initiate neurologic changes within the brain. These physiological changes are a result of the brain’s inherent neuroplasticity: the theory that the brain can create and conform various neurological pathways as a result of cognitive challenge. One theory to support mental activity for the prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease is the idea that a neuroplastic brain, when challenged regularly, can create new channels for neurological pathways to compensate for lost synapses as a result of protein damage. Mentally active endeavors such as reading, writing, or playing instruments can all affect the brain’s neuroplasticity in positive ways. Creative problem solving is deeply rooted in the prevention of neuropsychiatric disease. As clinicians and patients, we should all pursue mental challenge as a form of habitual preventative medicine. By having an enriching conversation, you are lengthening your ability to have these meaningful dialogues.
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