The brain may be the most complex organ in the human body.
That's why the treatment of brain injury or disease is so important.
We never know when an injury or disease will affect our brain. That's why the study of neuroscience is so vital.
"Neuroscience, to simplify it, means brain science so it's the study of brain function from the molecular level all the way up to regional level all the way up to the macular level," said Dr. Tom Harding, a neuroscience specialist at Castle Medical Center.
The study of the brain may involve injury - but more often than not, that study will involve problems associated with aging. And those problems arise more often these days.
"It used to be, we would say, if you were in your 70's or 80's and you had the occasional senior moment, that was okay. However, boomers in their 50's or 60's are having more senior moments than they should have. And research is showing that senior moments can be the very beginning of dementia, the earliest signs of dementia," Harding says.
There are preventive measures to protect against dementia - although there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease. Still, doing crossword puzzles and doing other "brain exercises" can help defer the onset of those problems.
"You can actually reduce your chances of dementia and just so you know what are your chances in the future, don't do anything, just live your life the way you are, it's a coin toss, it's a fifty-fifty chance," Harding says.
There is an important seminar coming up for those interested in protecting the brain and memory.
"September 8, we're having a memory workshop, we're having a few physicians from Castle who will be speaking on memory topics, how to keep your memory healthy and your brain healthy," said Bridget Mortell, a neurophysiologist.
For more information on the workshop, go to castlemed.org or call 263-5400
