Washington: Long before “brain health” became a buzzword, Rudolph E Tanzi was rewriting the science behind it. The Harvard neurology professor and co-director of the Henry and Allison McCance Center for Brain Health at Massachusetts General Hospital is known for discovering three key Alzheimer’s genes.
Tanzi is also the architect of a lifestyle intervention plan for brain health known as SHIELD that emphasizes the importance of sleep, handling stress, interaction with others, exercise, eating well and learning.
Now 67, Tanzi credits his research with helping him stay mentally sharp, physically active and deeply engaged with his work. Here’s what SHIELD is, what it looks like in Tanzi’s daily life and his tips for continuing to age well.
Sleep: Aim for 7-8 hours of high-quality sleep each night. Adequate rest is essential for brain function and memory.
“When you sleep, you not only consolidate memories, but you drain toxins out of your brain,” Tanzi said. “You actually clean amyloid toxins - that’s the sticky material that triggers Alzheimer’s disease, and it usually does so two decades in advance of symptoms. … Every time you go into a deep sleep, it’s a rinse cycle for your brain.” Tanzi doesn’t have a fixed bedtime, but he calculates backward from when he has to wake up to make sure he gets a minimum of seven hours of sleep. An hour before he needs to sleep, he turns off the TV and stops scrolling through Reels on his phone. People often ask him for advice about what to do if they only got five or six hours of sleep, and he recommends power naps. “Even a short one in the office that results in a little drool on your desk - that’s good.”
Stress: Minimize chronic stress, which has been linked to accelerated cognitive decline. “It induces cortisol, which is a toxic chemical in the brain.” Tanzi worries that the constant demands of modern life - such as from staying current on social media or responding to a steady stream of emails - have created unprecedented levels of stress.
“Many people are stressed out because of the constant monologue in their heads - the monkey chatter. We as humans, to communicate with words, often have words going through our heads, so one trick you can do is sit back, close your eyes, and gently keep words and sentences from entering your brain. Just think of images … I have gone out of my way in my life to turn off internal monologue and dialogue as much as possible. … Every hour or two, close eyes, and whatever comes in your head is fine, as long as you’re not hearing words.”
Interaction with friends: Maintain an active social life. Loneliness is associated with a higher risk of neurodegenerative conditions.
“That’s the stimulation that the brain likes. … Make sure it’s people you like. If it’s people you don’t like, that’s stress. … Ask yourself, how often each week do you interact with people who are not co-workers or household family members?” Research has shown that social interactions have positive effects on our lives.
Due to his busy work schedule and because many of his friends do not live in the area, Tanzi isn’t able to see his friends in person very often. But talking via text or phone is enough, he said.
“I have different text friend groups, and I just take time to interact with two to three of them per day, but not being obsessive about it.” They include college friends such as his old fraternity brothers and a basketball group. “This is one way you use social media to benefit your brain.”
Exercise, learning new things and diet are few other tips which will help you keep your brain in good shape
