Help! My Brain!!!!!!

This morning my son comes to me and asks: “Mum, my brain needs some help!”. He has started his exam block and he feels overwhelmed and in need of some cognition support. I started thinking and realized many of us are in the similar situations, with our brains feeling overwhelmed or just unable to remember things. There is no age barrier to this problem even though the reasons are different. The solutions however are similar.

To start off we need to look at our sleep. The brain needs enough good quality sleep to function. We often forget this fundamental part to our treatment. It has long been established that sleep helps memory retention by stopping interference by both mental activity and external sensory stimuli, resulting in memory consolidation (1). The importance of sleep starts from when we are babies. Recent research done with babies aged between 6 and 12 months showed that regular sleep was vital to remembering learning (2). Sleep allowed a consolidation of memories in the first year of life(2).

Our lifestyle can support our brains. Reducing excessive stress or treating it is important. Chronic stress targets the brain(3). Stress affects cognition, emotional responses and decision-making (3). It is hypothesized that it may even have a role in depression and Alzheimer’s disease (3). Recent research has shown that chronic stress dysregulates the lipid pathways in the brain that are involved in the regulation of brain functioning (3).

Exercise is also important. It has been found that voluntary exercise can improve brain regeneration and resistance to insult as well as improving mental and learning performance (4).  Additionally brain plasticity is improved with exercises (4). Recently, researchers into schizophrenia found that over learned exercise improved the brain connectivity in both patients and healthy individuals (5). The blood-brain barrier integrity has been shown to be protected by voluntary exercise (6). With aging, people who are physically active have shown to have better cognitive reserves (7).

Food and diet is also essential. Many of our neurotransmitters rely on nutrients that we get from our diet. In many ways that old adage “We are what we eat” is true.

Eating a MIND diet has been shown to slow down cognition decay with age (8). The MIND diet is a merging of the Mediterranean and the DASH (Dietary Approach to Systolic Hypertension) diets (8).

A diet lacking in methionine choline and folic acid in adolescence affects learning, memory and gene expression in the hippocampus of the brain(10). In pregnancy, a deficiency in choline and folic acid can result in short-term memory impairment in the offspring (11). Including flaxseed in the prenatal diet may increase cognitive and behavioral improvements of the offspring (12). The inclusion of vitamins A, E and astaxanthin can improve learning in cases of high fat diets which have been shown to impair learning (13). The use of vitamin C was shown to prevent the collective spatial memory impairment due to chronic sleep deprivation(14). A recent trial showed that there is an increased risk of grade repetition with Vitamin B12 deficiency (15).

Finally we come to my favorite, herbal support. There are many herbs that can be used for memory and cognition support. The two most common are Ginkgo and Brahmi. Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) is said to have a memory enhancing effect due to increasing the supply of oxygen to the brain and eliminating free radicals (16). Taking Ginkgo has been shown to decrease the cognitive decline that occurs with age (17). Brahmi (Bacopa moniera) a herb from Ayurvedic medicine (16)has even been shown to restore spatial memory in amnesic mice (18). It is commonly used for learning and memory enhancement (16).Others herbs include: Gotu kola (Centella asiatica), Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) and Rosemary.

Gotu Kola is another Ayruvedic medicine herb and is considered one of the “Rasayana” (rejuvenator) herbs used to promote longevity and memory (19). The effects have been shown for both cognitive function and memory (19). Korean ginseng is a adaptogenic herb which improves the body's ability to respond to stress (16). This improves cognition as previously discussed with stress.

Rosemary is synonymous with memory. Greek scholars wore it over their brow to promote recall during exams. To quote Shakespeare’s Ophelia in Hamlet: “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance, pray you love, remember” (20). The combination of this and the fact that Rosemary grows wild at the landing site of the Australians in Gallipoli during World War I, has resulted in this herb being used on Anzac Day in Australia to remember the fallen (21).

To summarize, through changing your lifestyle, diet and the application of herbals, you can remarkably improve your memory and support a healthy brain. 

Non-Hyperlinked References:

4. Cotman CW, Berchtold NC. Exercise: A behavioral intervention to enhance brain health and plasticity. Trends Neurosci. 2002;25(6):295–301.

7. Konopka LM. How exercise influences the brain: a neuroscience perspective. Croat Med J. 2015;56:169–71.

10. Tomizawa H, Matsuzawa D, Ishili D, Matsuda S, Kawai K, Mashimo Y, et al. Methyl-donor deficiency in adolescence affects memory and epigenetic status in the mouse hippocampus. Genes, Brain Behav. 2015;14(3):301–9.

15. Duong M-C, Mora-Plazas M, Marín C, Villamor E. Vitamin B-12 Deficiency in Children is Associated with Grade Repetition and School Absenteeism, Independent of Folate, Iron, Zinc or Vitamin A status Biomarkers. J Nutr. 2015;145(7):1541.

17. Edwards SE, Rocha I da C, Williamson EM, Heinrich M. Phytopharmacy: An Evidence-Based Guide to herbal Medicinal Products. 1st ed. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.; 2015. 168-171 p.

18. Rai R, Singh HK, Prasad S. A Special Extract of Bacopa monnieri (CDRI-08) Restores Learning and Memory by Upregulating Expression of the NMDA Receptor Subunit GluN2B in the Brain of Scopolamine-Induced Amnesic Mice. Evidence-based Complement Altern Med. 2015;Article ID.

19. Murray MT. Centella asiatica (Gotu Kola). In: Pizzorno J, Murray MT, editors. Textbook of Natural Medicine. 4th ed. St.Louis: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2013. p. 649–52.