Your ticket to a healthier brain and a healthier you! Your brain, like every part of your body, needs and deserves all the TLC you can give it so you can live a long and healthy life. In Brain Health For Dummies, neuroscientist and author Dr. Sarah McKay walks you through some simple and easy steps you can take—right now—to get smarter, stay healthier, and better support the elders in your life. This is the ultimate, evidence-based guide to help you understand how your brain works around the clock to keep you sharp, healthy, and happy. It offers straightforward advice to help you optimize your brain health, including: How to lessen your chance of disease and decline by managing common health risks Simple lifestyle tips to help you maintain a healthy brain at every stage of life Sex- and age-specific strategies to help keep your brain in top form Optimal performance is something your brain works on all day long. Make sure you're living your best life by learning how to maintain your hardest-working organ with Brain Health For Dummies. Grab a copy today!

lgli/Brain_Health_For_Dummies_-_Sarah_McKay,_DPhil.pdf

Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, John

Wiley & Sons, Limited, John

United States, United States of America

2025

Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Introduction
About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond the Book
Where to Go from Here
Part 1 An Introduction to Brain Health
Chapter 1 Embracing Brain Health Fundamentals
Getting to Grips with the Biopsychosocial Model of Health
Understanding How a Healthy Brain Works
Perceiving your world
Interpreting biological signals
Guiding your behavior
Feeling emotional
Thinking and reasoning
Socializing and interacting with others
Practical Tips to Get Started
Your Brain Health Journey Starts Here
Chapter 2 Getting to Know Your Brain and Nervous System
Navigating Nervous System Anatomy
Mapping the divisions of the nervous system
Digging into the brain’s structure and organization
Mapping the brain’s cortex
Going below the cortical surface
The control center of basic life functions
Getting a sense of your senses
Exploring the peripheral nervous system (PNS)
Sensory and motor control
Counting the cranial nerves
Deciphering the autonomic nervous system (ANS)
Connecting Neurons and Synapses
Knowing about neurons
Communicating with electrical impulses: The action potential
Synapses: Miniature zones of communication
Neurotransmitters and neuromodulators
Receptors: Receiving the signals
Gluing neurons together with glia
Honing in on Neuroplasticity
Synapse plasticity
Synthesizing Knowledge: How It All Works Together
Chapter 3 Measuring and Monitoring Brain Health
How Scientists Study the Brain
Fields of Brain Science and Brain Health
Research tools and techniques
Laboratory and animal research
Brain imaging and brain scanning
Computer-based analysis, machine learning, and AI
Biological sample analysis
Clinical and neuropsychological assessment
Population-based studies and epidemiology
Study Design and Levels of Evidence
Navigating the Maze of Brain Health Assessments
Where to begin
The types of tests to assess brain health
Keeping track of your own health
Technology and wearables
Listening to friends and family
Know thyself
Chapter 4 Examining Brain Health Disorders and Diseases
Receiving a Diagnosis
Understanding Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Symptoms and diagnosis
Neurobiology of ADHD
Treatment options for ADHD
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Symptoms and diagnosis
Neurobiology of ASD
Treatment options for ASD
Dyslexia
Symptoms and diagnosis
Neurobiology of dyslexia
Treatment options for dyslexia
Tourette Syndrome
Symptoms and diagnosis
Neurobiology of Tourette Syndrome
Treatment options for Tourette Syndrome
Managing Mood and Mental Health Disorders
Anxiety
Symptoms and diagnosis
Neurobiology of anxiety
Treatment options for anxiety
Depression
Symptoms and diagnosis
Neurobiology of depression
Treatment options for depression
Bipolar disorder
Symptoms and diagnosis
Neurobiology of bipolar disorder
Treatment options for bipolar disorder
Schizophrenia
Symptoms and diagnosis
Neurobiology of schizophrenia
Treatment options for schizophrenia
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Symptoms and diagnosis
Neurobiology of PTSD
Treatment options for PTSD
Navigating Neurological Problems
Migraine
Symptoms and diagnosis
Neurobiology of migraine
Treatment options for migraine
Epilepsy
Symptoms and diagnosis
Neurobiology of epilepsy
Treatment of epilepsy
Addressing Structural and Acquired Brain Disorders
Brain tumors
Symptoms and diagnosis
Neurobiology of brain tumors
Treatment of brain tumors
Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Symptoms and diagnosis
Neurobiology of TBI, concussion, and CTE
Treatment of TBI
Stroke
Symptoms and diagnosis
Neurobiology of stroke
Treatment of stroke
Investigating Neurodegenerative Disorders
Alzheimer’s disease (AD)
Symptoms and diagnosis
Neurobiology of AD
Treatment options for AD
Parkinson’s Disease (PD)
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Neurobiology of PD
Treatment of PD
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Symptoms and diagnosis
Neurobiology of MS
Treatment options for MS
Motor Neuron Disease (MND)
Symptoms and diagnosis
Neurobiology of MND
Treatment of MND
Chapter 5 Calculating the Causes and Risks of Brain Health Problems
Understanding Statistical Terms Simply
Weighing up risks and benefits
Risk is relative, so absolutely look for absolute risk!
Health trends: Prevalence and incidence data
Understanding Genetic Risk Factors and Family History
Example: Huntington’s disease and genetic risk factors
Example: Alzheimer’s disease and genetic risk factors
Nurturing Brain Health through Lifestyle Choices
Taking a Holistic View of Brain Health
Part 2 Charting Brain Health at Different Ages and Stages
Chapter 6 Nurturing Healthy Brain Development in Childhood
From Chromosomes to Complexity
Building the brain: In utero
Building the brain: Infancy and childhood
Newborn reflexes
Developmental milestones
Brain development: Back to front
Shaping the Developing Brain: Critical Periods for Brain Development
What are critical periods?
Why are critical periods so critical?
Laying the Foundations: The First 1,000 Days
Maternal health matters
Childhood nutrition and growth
The Importance of Warm, Caring Relationships
Building secure connections
Attachment theory 101
What do emotionally responsive relationships look like?
Showing empathy and responsiveness
Learning how to “serve and return”
Parenting well when you’re worn out
Educating Little Brains
Nurturing development of executive functions
Language development through talking, reading, and singing
Navigating out-of-home childcare
Fostering a good childhood in ECEC
Defining high-quality ECEC
Untangling the Impact of Early Childhood Trauma and Toxic Stress
Defining different types of stress
Toxic stress: A huge disrupter of brain development
Adverse childhood experiences (ACES)
What are ACEs?
Mitigating the effects of ACES with early intervention
Chapter 7 Fostering Healthy Brain Development in Adolescence
Adolescence: A Sensitive Phase of Brain Development
Tracking the beginning and end of adolescence
Charting adolescent brain development
Minding the gap: The developmental mismatch model
Losing grey matter: Less is sometimes more!
Adolescence is critical — period!
Halcyon days: The reminiscence bump of adolescence
Navigating Puberty
Tracking the changes of puberty
A primer on pubertal hormones
Puberty begins with KISS
The hormones of puberty
Sex hormones and brain reorganization
Sex hormones and brain organization in utero
Hormones during puberty and the developing adolescent brain
Understanding the impact of hormones on mood and behavior
Cultivating Social Ties
Describing the social brain
Social brain development in adolescence
Social belonging and identity formation
On the importance of belonging
Helping young people find their sense of self
Assessing the Risk of Risky Business
Venting about the ventral striatum
Risk-taking and peer approval
Three theories of risk-taking
Understanding the Ups and Downs of Mental Health Challenges in Teenagers
Common mental health problems in teens
Why are teens vulnerable to mental health problems?
Why poor mental health is sharply increasing
COVID-19 pandemic and uncertainty
Digital technology
Prevention and early intervention work best
Emphasizing Positive Brain Behaviors for Adolescent Brain Health
The impact of substance use on developing brains
Alcohol
Cannabis
Technology and the teenage brain
Teenage sleep schedules
Encouraging healthy risk-taking
Supporting adolescents through storm and stress
Chapter 8 Supporting Healthy Brain Aging
Living to 100: Modern Trends in Aging
Defining aging
Aging as a disease
Defining longevity
Perceiving age and ageism
Aging populations: People worldwide are living longer
Connecting with Centenarians
Studying centenarians
Zoning in on the Blue Zones
Surviving, escaping, or delaying diseases of aging
Learning lessons from centenarians
Some centenarians retain cognitive prowess
Does longevity run in families?
Minding yourself in midlife
Charting Healthy Trajectories of Brain Aging
Cellular hallmarks of aging
Understanding the markers of brain aging
Healthy aging affects brain structure
Healthy brain aging under the microscope
Cognitive changes expected with aging
Healthy aging affects cognitive networks
Healthy aging affects activities of daily life
Knowing What’s Normal: Aging Versus Dementia
Differentiating different types of cognitive skills and memories
Crystallized and fluid mental skills
Different mental abilities peak at different ages (or do they?)
Individual variation in cognitive decline
Making the most of midlife
Comparing signs of normal aging with dementia
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI)
Diagnosing MCI
Testing for MCI
Treating MCI
Monitoring your own memory
Demystifying Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)
Defining dementia
Reducing your risk: There’s good news
Taking action on your modifiable risk factors
Part 3 Beyond Aging: Other Factors That Impact Brain Health
Chapter 9 Understanding the Interplay of Sex and Gender in Brain Health
Approaching Sex and Gender Differences in the Brain
How different are the differences?
Understanding sex differences and sexual dimorphism
Taking a bio-psycho-social approach to sex differences
Understanding WEIRD brains
Gender inequality changes brain structure
Examining Hormones and Brain Health Across the Lifespan
A primer on female sex hormones
Estrogens and progesterone
Ovarian hormones and the brain
Using female sex hormones as a scapegoat
A primer on male sex hormones
T across the lifespan
The role of T in the male brain
T replacement (TRT) for when levels are low
T, mood, and “roid rage”
Sex differences and neurodevelopmental disorders
Sex differences and mood disorders
Sex differences and brain aging
Addressing Brain Health in Men
Hormonal influences
Risk factors for neurological disorders
From heart health to brain health
Mental health: “Man up” is not the answer!
Occupational hazards and brain health
Delving into Brain Health in Women
Charting the menstrual cycle: How estrogen rewires the brain
PMS and PMDD: Vulnerability to hormonal change
Investigating the brain health impacts of hormonal contraceptives
Does the pill cause depression?
Cognitive benefits and risks of the pill
Assessing brain changes during pregnancy and motherhood
Pregnancy prepares the mind for motherhood
Baby brain: Cognitive decline or stereotype?
Postnatal depression and anxiety
Baby blues or something more serious?
Treating PND and anxiety
Postnatal psychosis
Managing menopause
Signs, symptoms, and definitions
Brain changes during menopause
The neurobiology of hot flashes and night sweats
Brain fog: Not mild cognitive decline
Different women experience different trajectories
Menopause and mental health
Hormone therapy and brain health
Identifying hormone-sensitive subgroups
Chapter 10 Managing Brain Health after Head Injury
Defining Brain Injuries
Causes of brain injuries
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Sequence of injury
The global burden of TBI
Assessing the severity of TBI
Living with TBI
Concussions
Symptoms of concussion
Treatment and recovery
Concussions in children
Second impact syndrome
Infections
Encephalitis
Meningitis
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Signs and symptoms of FASD
Impacts of FASD
Exploring the Impacts of Brain Injuries
Longer-term impacts of living with TBI
Cognitive effects
Physical effects
Behavioral effects
Psychological effects
The challenge of predicting recovery
Staying healthy after TBI
A sad result of TBIs: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)
Signs and symptoms of CTE
Current controversies surrounding sport concussion and CTE
Implementing Concussion Prevention Strategies
Strategies and policies to reduce the harm from TBI
Tips to keep your brain safe
Chapter 11 Wondering at the World: The Environment and Brain Health
Investigating Environmental Factors
Air quality
What’s in the air?
Air pollution and dementia risk
Water quality and access
Dehydration can impair cognitive function
Is tap water healthy?
Environmental toxins
Moving Between Time Zones and Seasons
Globetrotting: The effects of time zone changes
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Autumn brain: Peak brain performance
Living Urban versus Rural
City living as a psychiatric risk factor
Green and blue spaces and mental well-being
Exploring the Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Brain Health
Poverty, stress, and brain development
Educational opportunities and brain development
Part 4 Keeping Your Brain Healthy
Chapter 12 Nourishing Your Brain: Nutrition and Brain Health
So What’s Food For, Anyway?
Food is fuel
Food is macronutrients and micronutrients
Macronutrients
Micronutrients
Food is an environmental and social signal
Understanding Nutrition Science and Its Findings
Nutrition science is tricky
Studies are contradictory
There’s more to diet than individual choices
Studying the Mediterranean Diet
Eating a Mediterranean style diet
Taking a Brain Health Approach to Nutrition: The Evidence
A healthy body is as important as a health brain
Connecting diet and mood disorders
Clear evidence MedDiet reduces risk for depression
The SMILES trial
Connecting diet and dementia
Clear evidence diet reduces risk for dementia
DASH and MIND diets for neuroprotection
Keeping up with the ketogenic diet
What does the KD diet consist of?
Ketogenic diet and epilepsy
Ketogenic diet and serious mental illness
Understanding Neuronal Health: Energy, Metabolism, and Mitochondria
Energy requires glucose
Why mitochondria matter
Metabolism: The big picture
How metabolic diseases affect neuronal health
Navigating the Gut-Brain Axis: A Two-Way Street
The enteric nervous system
Interoception: Your gut’s sense
Interoception begins in the gut
Interoception insights in the insula
The gut-brain-microbiome axis
Most studies of the gut-microbiome are in mice
Gut microbiota, depression, and AD (Alzheimer’s Disease)
A role for probiotics in brain health
A theory of everything?
Answering Common Brain Health-Nutrition Questions
Is coffee good for your brain?
Is red wine really good for you?
Can intermittent fasting benefit brain health?
Does fish oil help with childhood learning?
Is sugar as addictive as cocaine?
Chapter 13 Moving Your Body for Brain Health
Getting Brain Gains from Physical Activity
Your brain evolved on the move
Movement is more than just physical
Sedentary living and brain health
Government guidelines
For children and adolescents
For young and middle-aged adults
For older adults
Analyzing Evidence for Exercise for Brain Health
Playing their way to childhood brain health
Looking at the classroom evidence
Treating mood disorders with exercise
Calculating the sweet spot: Exercise type, timing, and frequency
Motiving people with depression
Battling cognitive decline and dementia with exercise
Preventing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia
Heart pumping or leg lifting?
Decoding the Exercise Effect
Implementing Movement into Your Everyday Life
Harnessing the power of habits
Changing behavior through habits
Understanding the habit loop
Using “If-Then” planning
Stacking habits
Environmental nudging
Incorporating social support networks
Chapter 14 Sleeping Your Way to Better Brain Health
Understanding Sleep’s Significance for Brain Health
Asking the big question: Why do we need to sleep?
Deciphering the sleep cycle
Studying sleep with polysomnography
Stages of sleep
Exploring the patterns and cycles of sleep architecture
Messing up your sleep architecture
Sleep: The price you pay for brain plasticity
How sleep shapes the growing brain
Sleep’s role in learning and memory
Sleep’s effect on short- and long-term memory storage
Tuning Into Your Circadian Rhythms
Mastering sleep drivers: Adenosine and alertness
Sleep drive is driven by adenosine
Caffeine blocks adenosine
Setting your circadian clock
Clock genes are internal timekeepers
Sunrise and sunset
Temperature regulation
Adjusting the adolescent alarm
Calculating your chronotype
Melatonin: The hormone of darkness
Melatonin supplementation for jetlag
Melatonin supplementation for children
Melatonin supplementation if you just can’t sleep
Understanding the Consequences of Sleep Deprivation and Disruption
Sleep and mood disorders
Biological mechanisms linking sleep and mood disorders
Day and nightlight exposure
Sleep and cognitive function
The impact of fatigue on workplace safety
Sleep and learning in the classroom
Sleep and metabolic health
The relationship between sleep and metabolic health
Snoring, sleep apnea, and metabolic syndrome
Building Better Bedtime Habits
Sleep regularity versus sleep duration
Perceiving what’s healthy and normal
Power Napping
Promoting a good sleep routine
Overcoming Insomnia
Treating insomnia with pharmaceuticals
Chapter 15 Socializing Your Way to a Healthier Brain
Understanding the Importance of Linked Lives
The impact of social relationships on life’s narrative
Linking relationships to brain health
Underestimating the importance of social connections
Defining social relationships
The importance of attachment and the impact of neglect on brain health
How babies drive us to connect with them
Studying the Social Brain
Perceiving, processing, and relating: Three stages of social cognition
How the social brain works
Social brain networks
Mirror neurons: Myth and reality
Thinking about others: Theory of Mind and Empathy
Theory of Mind
Empathy
The concept of “second-person neuroscience” and its implications
Studying the human brain in social isolation
Studying the human brain in real life interactions
It’s not ESP: How do two brains connect?
Decoding the Biology of Love
The oxytocin effect
Oxytocin’s role in mothering
The response to a crying baby
The “mama bear” response
Oxytocin and other relationships
Oxytocin’s role in stress reduction
Confronting Loneliness and Its Health Implications
The global loneliness epidemic
How the brain benefits from social interaction
Social connectedness and depression
Social connectedness, brain aging, and dementia
How loneliness impacts health
Prescribing Social Connection and Support
Chapter 16 Challenging Your Cognition for Better Brain Health
Characterizing Cognitive Challenge
Understanding cognitive reserve
Understanding memory: What it is and how it changes over time
Memory and aging
Making meaning of your changing cognitive skills
Examining cognitive reserve
Enriching your environment
Education and cognitive reserve
Employment and cognitive reserve
Building cognitive reserve
Assessing the Effectiveness of Brain Training Programs
Testing the benefits of mental challenges and brain games
Does computerized cognitive training (CCT) prevent brain aging?
Transferring virtual skills into real life
Looking at the downsides of CCT
Taking a smart approach to brain training
Seeking Purpose and Passion for Brain Health and Longevity
Peering in at your personality traits
The Big Five
Personality traits predict life satisfaction
Purpose in life: Exploring the evidence
Living a life on purpose
Living purposefully in the blue zones
Ask yourself two key questions
Prescribing Cognitive Challenges for Your Brain
Part 5 Avoiding Brain Health Hazards
Chapter 17 Buffering Against Toxic Stress
Recognizing and Defining Stress
Defining stress, stressors, and feeling stressed
Stressors
Physiological stress responses (neural and hormonal)
Subjective experiences or feelings of stress
Understanding different types of stress
Perceiving something as stressful
The Yerkes-Dodson curve
Is this threat a challenge or an opportunity?
Tuning into the Neuro-Symphony of Stress
An orchestrated neuro-symphony
Understanding your dual stress response system
The Autonomic Nervous System: Your first responder
The HPA axis: Your extended defense
Understanding stress hormones
Release and roles of adrenaline and noradrenaline
Release and roles of cortisol
Decoding fight, flight, freeze, and fawn
Stress hormones and immune health
Mapping the Impact of Stress on Brain Terrain
Viewing the brain as a stress organ
Brain regions most vulnerable to stress
Allostasis and allostatic load
Wear and tear on your brain and body
Navigating life stages and stress vulnerability
Recognizing the health risks of toxic or chronic stress
Cultivating Resilience and Growth
Theories of resilience
Resilience: trait, state, or process?
Building protective relationships
Embracing calm with mindfulness and meditation
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
Breathing through breathwork
Prescribing Calm
Chapter 18 Rethinking Drugs and Alcohol
Assessing Alcohol’s Effect on Brain Health
Long-term consequences for brain health
Alcohol Use Disorder
Who’s at risk for AUD?
Getting treatment for AUD
Assessing potential positive effects of alcohol
Understanding Cannabis’ Influence on the Brain
Getting up to speed on the basics of cannabis
What is cannabis?
How does cannabis work?
The benefits of cannabis
The health risks of cannabis
Acknowledging the side effects
Exploring the psychiatric risks of cannabis use in teens
Probing the Use of Psychedelics
What are psychedelics?
How do psychedelics affect the brain?
Therapeutic use of psychedelics
Micro-dosing with psychedelics
Prescribing Healthy Imbibing
Chapter 19 Avoiding Metabolic Syndrome
Characterizing Metabolic Syndrome
Understanding the basics of metabolism
Defining poor metabolic health
High blood pressure
High blood sugar
Abnormal cholesterol levels
High triglyceride levels
Abdominal obesity
Risk factors for metabolic syndrome
Uncontrollable risk factors for metabolic syndrome
Controllable risk factors for metabolic syndrome
Linking Metabolic Syndrome to Brain Health
Metabolic syndrome increases risk for poor brain health
Poor physical health and poor brain health go together
Implementing Preventative Strategies
Getting professional help
Making healthy lifestyle changes
Chapter 20 Avoiding Hearing Loss
How Hearing Loss Can Lead to Poor Brain Health
Surveying the statistics of hearing loss and dementia
Linking hearing loss to dementia
Social isolation
Cognitive change
Brain structure change
Shared pathology
Recognizing That You May Have Hearing Loss
Symptoms of hearing loss
Types of hearing loss
Taking Charge of Your Hearing
Prevention is better than cure
Getting help for hearing loss
Taking steps if you’re worried about your hearing
Visiting an audiologist
Exploring treatment options
Hearing aids
Implants
Surgical treatments
Listening to Advice on Hearing Loss
Part 6 The Part of Tens
Chapter 21 Ten Ways to Hurt Your Happy, Healthy Brain
Never Get Enough Sleep
Become a Hermit
Stress Yourself Out
Eat Junk Food
Lay Around Doing Nothing
Blast the Music and Ditch the Bike Helmet
Avoid Ever Learning Anything New
Drink and Take Illicit Drugs (Daily)
Avoid Joy and Wallow around in Doom and Gloom
Embrace the Couch and Cake Life
Chapter 22 Ten Functions of a High-Performing, Happy, Healthy Brain
Cognitive Abilities: Your Brain’s CEO
Learning and Memory: Your Brain’s Dynamic Workshop
Attention and Focus: Your Brain’s Spotlight
Recognition of People: Your Brain’s Face Detector
Language Capacity: Your Brain’s Translator
Navigational Skills: Your Brain’s GPS
Emotional Regulation: Your Brain’s Mood Manager
Stress Management: Your Brain’s Chill Pill
Creative Potential: Your Brain’s Artist
Sense of Self: Your Brain’s Dream Machine
Index
EULA

2024-11-26