Run For Your Lives!

First off, notice how the Nike swoosh on my T-shirt echoes, in a way, the curved blade on the Grim Reaper’s scythe.  I wonder if I’m the first person to point this out.

Second, a few weeks ago I published a blog post about the cognitive benefits of running.  The New York Times had reported on a recent study that compared the brains of runners to non-runners, and found that running seems to change the brain’s structure in positive ways.  To wit:

“In particular, the scientists noted more connectivity in the runners than in the inactive men between parts of the brain that aid in working memory, multitasking, attention, decision-making, and the processing of visual and other sensory information.

“There also, interestingly, was less activity among the runners in a part of the brain that tends to indicate lack of focus and mind wandering.”

As these are cognitive issues people with Parkinson’s face, I essentially wrote, “Come on! Let’s all get out there and pound the race track and running paths!”

A fellow Parkie in one of my Facebook Parkinson’s groups, himself a former collegiate runner, pointed out that I had simplified the situation and overgeneralized the results.  The experiment that the New York Times reported on compared competitive collegiate runners to sedentary college students who had not exercised for a year.  In other words, two extreme groups.  I never mentioned that in my blog post, although I did supply a quote from the article that said “Earlier studies in older adults have found that similar connections are associated with improved memory and cognition as people age.”

I should have said that the outstanding results of the current experiment were found with elite runners, not your average Jane or Joe Jogger.  So I apologize for this gloss.  As my fellow Facebook follower wrote, “Years ago I heard a comment [that] the difference between a front of the pack marathoner and a back of the pack marathoner is that the leaders are constantly monitoring how they feel, what their pace is compared to target, what their competitors are doing, setting strategy for the remainder of the race, etc. The back of the packers are counting telephones or stoplights to pass the time to get to the finish. Competitive racing doesn’t take the same brainpower as designing microprocessors, but does keep your attention.”  Got it!

I also neglected to mention the NY Times’ other caveats, which I’ll print here:

“Of course, this type of study cannot prove that running actually caused the differences in the men’s thinking, only that runners had certain patterns of thought.

“Likewise, it is unclear whether running, alone, has such effects, or if other endurance sports, including cycling and swimming, would be associated with similar brain connections, or whether people who are not college-aged and male would respond in the same ways. The scientists also did not test their volunteers’ cognition, so they could not say whether the differing thinking patterns among the runners were linked with being smarter.”

So I regret not being more thorough in my reporting.

The real issue is that as a shell-shocked Parkie, I grab at anything I read online that points the way to a healthier brain.  Then I “rah-rah-rah” the article like a cheerleader, if only to motivate myself to exercise more.  And even though I’m not a 21-year-old track star, I believe (hope?) that running on the footpath through the forest near my house may still provide cognitive as well as cardio benefits.  Watch out for that tree root!

I’ve been like this ever since I started my Parking Suns blog two years ago.  One of the first articles I reviewed talked about ways you can generate new neuronal cells in your brain.  Here’s what I wrote back in February 2015:

According to the article “‘Enriched  Environment’ May Boost Brain Health,” the brain is able to generate new neuronal cells (a process called neurogenesis), and this is good because “having plentiful neuronal connections—a ‘brain reserve’—is thought to stave off the onset and progression of brain diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.”

As I understand it, you can increase the number and the density of the neuronal connections in your brain by involving yourself in “enriched environments.”   There are 5 ways to do this:

1. physical activity:  “…any activity that gets blood circulating to the brain is neuroprotective.”
2. good nutrition:  for example, “… foods with omega-3 fatty acids—such as tuna, salmon, herring and walnuts—seem to have a neuroprotective effect.  Vitamins E and C, which are powerful antioxidants, also have shown benefit to the brain.”
3. staying social:  “…individuals who isolate or segregate themselves have higher rates of dementia than those who stay well-socialized.”
4. mental stimulation:  play complex board games; learn a new language; design your own website and start blogging…
5. meditation and spirituality:  among other reasons, these two options reduce your stress.

Thus I see exercise as a ticket to delay the progression of Parkinson’s disease, something our current medications cannot do.  I run, swim, and work out at the gym to forestall the end stages of Parkinson’s (which sound gruesome), as well as to ward off the death of more of my brain’s substantia nigra (or dopamine-producing cells, or any other part of my noggin), and my own ultimate, inevitable demise.  A neurologist might point out that I’m wrong about some or all of this, but nonetheless.

There are myriad studies promoting the value of exercise for Parkies.  I thrive on research like the one reported in the NY Times, as well as on anecdotal articles and video about Parkies doing amazing things physically (bingo!).  And I get thrilled when I hear statements like this from an online video about Parkies who take up boxing:

A handful of boxers were tracked over two years, their abilities compared to other people with Parkinson’s who did other types of training.  The boxers did well.  Their balance was better.  They could walk faster.  They had more endurance.  And they reported their overall quality of life was higher.

For me, this is the only way to live.  So yes, let’s lace up the athletic shoes and hit the gym and running track.  Use me as a springboard to get yourself started, even though my layman’s lame ‘n lazy reporting may be imprecise.  And if you can’t run anymore because, say, you have severe dystonia in your legs, try spin biking.  Or find some other aerobic and strength-building exercises you can do with your upper body.

If you want additional encouragement and recommendations on physical exercise, click here for these posts on the Michael J. Fox Foundation website:

• How Do I Know If I’m Doing the Right Exercise for Parkinson’s Disease?
• Ask the MD: Exercise and Parkinson’s

As the Nike shoe ads used to say, “Just do it!”

PS  The latest bandwagon I’m leaping on is another NY Times article about how to become a “superager” – that is, how to be as mentally sharp in your 80s as you were in your 20s.

Here are the opening two paragraphs as a teaser:

Think about the people in your life who are 65 or older. Some of them are experiencing the usual mental difficulties of old age, like forgetfulness or a dwindling attention span. Yet others somehow manage to remain mentally sharp. My father-in-law, a retired doctor, is 83 and he still edits books and runs several medical websites.

Why do some older people remain mentally nimble while others decline? “Superagers” (a term coined by the neurologist Marsel Mesulam) are those whose memory and attention isn’t merely above average for their age, but is actually on par with healthy, active 25-year-olds. My colleagues and I at Massachusetts General Hospital recently studied superagers to understand what made them tick.

For an example of someone in his 80s who’s still mentally sharp, I’ll paste here a video about superager Christo, who’s still creating breathtaking artwork (and talking coherently about it) at age 80+.

Best wishes to everyone for a happy and healthy 2017!