LIFE LESSONS FROM A BRAIN SURGEON de Dr. Rahul Jandial

În 2021 mi-am cumpărat cartea doctorului Rahul Jandial “Life lessons from a brain surgeon”, interesată fiind de neuroștiință. 

Ce nu știam, dar am învățat de la dr. Rahul Jandial a fost că, în anul doi al facultății de Medicină, studenții dau un examen numit Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Exam.
Acest examen durează 8 ore și este un test grilă cu răspunsuri multiple din “anatomy, biochemistry, behavioral sciences, genetics, immunology, pathology, pharmacology, physiology, plate tectonics, quantum mechanics, rocket science, and the Upper Paleolithic history of Siberia”.

Ce m-a interesat cu privire la creierul persoanelor din categoria mea de vârstă a fost:

“There is good news about the aging brain: more people than ever are living into their eighties and beyond in excellent cognitive health as the rate of Alzheimer’s plummets.
So, even though the total number of people with dementia is increasing because people are living longer, the risk of getting dementia is actually lower.
Since the 1970s, in fact, the risk of dementia due to any cause has fallen by 20 percent every decade, proving that lifestyle plays a major role in how our brains age, and that dementia is not an immutable force.”

Partea bună este că dacă ai cel puțin o diplomă de liceu, probabilitatea de a face demență scade considerabil:

“Numerous studies have shown that education plays an important role in reducing the risk of later developing dementia.
The reason why education pays off is because of something called cognitive reserve: people with extra brain power (thanks in part to extra education) can afford to lose more before showing obvious signs of decline.”

În plus, activitatea sportivă este un factor major de a ne menține și chiar îmbunătăți activitatea cognitivă:

“Physical activity turns out to be one of the absolute best ways to maintain and even improve cognitive health.
Countless studies have shown that exercise programs directly contribute to brain function”.

Kindle, 2021

P.S. Dr. Rahul Jandial va susține o prelegere în București pe 11 Noiembrie 2023, la Apollo 111.