NEXT BREAKTHROUGHS NEW MEMORY RESEARCH AIDS LEARNING AND BRAIN HEALTH IN AGING
Baycrest is a global leader in memory research, generating the most innovative knowledge to understand the mechanisms of memory and executive functions of the brain.
World-renowned scientists at Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute (RRI) collaborate with clinicians to understand brain functions and to translate and apply their findings to help people maximize their brain health as they age. These discoveries can lead to better therapies to advance care and innovative strategies to improve the daily functioning of people with mild cognitive impairment, dementia, Alzheimer's, stroke and other neurological conditions and diseases.
"In the past year, we have made great strides towards a seamless transition of basic research in cognitive neuroscience to application," says Dr. Randy McIntosh, vice-president of Research and director of the Rotman Research Institute. "This has helped us identify and remove barriers to translation, and also realize that sometimes these translations happen in ways that we did not imagine. That's part of the excitement of doing research at Baycrest."
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Key new findings in memory research by RRI scientists have broad public health implications, which could help older adults prevent or delay cognitive decline, and learn and remember better.
LOW-SALT DIET BENEFITS BRAIN FUNCTION
Older adults who are sedentary and consume too much salt in their diet may be at greater risk of cognitive decline, a study led by the RRI has found.
The study monitored the general cognitive function – including short- and long-term memory, language and attention – of
1,262 older women and men in Quebec over three years.
"The results showed that a high- salt diet, combined with little
exercise, was especially detri- mental to cognitive performance. This is important evidence that sodium intake not only impacts heart health, but brain health as well," says Dr. Alexandra Fiocco, post-doctoral fellow and lead investigator of the study, published in Neurobiology and Aging.
This finding, believed to be the first to extend the benefits of a low sodium diet to brain health in healthy older adults, adds to the scientific evidence that peo- ple can help delay or prevent normal, age-related cognitive decline by adopting a healthier diet and more active lifestyle.
"These data are especially relevant since we know that munching on high-salt, pro- cessed snacks while watching television or spending time at a computer is a frequent pas- time for many adults," says RRI scientist Dr. Carol Greenwood, a senior author on the study and internationally-renowned scien- tist in the field of nutrition and cognitive function in later life.
RRI scientists conducted the study with colleagues from the Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, McGill University and the University of Sherbrooke.
WATCH 2011/12 Baycrest and Baycrest Foundation Annual Report 15
