Baycrest

12 • BrainMatters • Fall/Winter 2021 Pre - conception The human brain begins forming very soon after conception. In fact, promoting brain health can start even before pregnancy by consuming the right nutrients to support the neural tube — the part of the embryo that will eventually become the spine and the brain. Women of child- bearing age can take folic acid to support the healthy development of the fetus. Youth Throughout childhood and adolescence, our brains develop incredibly rapidly, allowing us to learn new things very fast. This is a great time to learn a second language. In 2007, a groundbreaking study co-led by Baycrest researchers, was the first to report the link between bilingualism and the delayed development of dementia. Specifically, bilingual people in this study showed symptoms of dementia four years later than monolingual people did. Since then, we have seen a growing body of evidence supporting the protective effects of bilingualism on brain health. If you didn't learn to speak a second language as a child or teenager, don't worry. Whenever you decide to learn another language, you're training your brain to be more efficient. Like bilingualism, playing an instrument has also been linked to better brain health — whether you are a child prodigy or picking up your first instrument at age 75. Although some people consider Alzheimer's disease and related dementias to be concerns only for older adults, they are diseases we must pay attention to, no matter our age. Dementia starts to develop decades before the initial memory loss symptoms appear. Fortunately, researchers now know that there are many things we can do to help maintain our brain health so we can age without fear. Below, we look at some of these preventative factors as they relate to different stages of our lives. PROTECTING YOUR BRAIN HE ALTH AT E VERY AGE AND STAGE OF LIFE

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