Greater sense of life purpose improves brain health

A greater sense of one's purpose in life improves brain health as we age, researchers have reported. Diffusion-weighted MRI showed positive associations in both white matter and the right hippocampus, the latter of which is an area of the brain that "retains the capacity to grow and adapt through old age," wrote a team led by Ajay Kumar Nair, PhD, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The research was published March 4 in Frontiers in Psychiatry. "Our findings suggest pathways through which an enhanced sense of purpose in life may contribute to better brain health and promote healthy aging," the group wrote. A robust sense of purpose in life is associated with several health benefits relevant for active aging – including mitigating loneliness, staving off cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease, and delaying the onset of dementia -- but the "mechanisms remain unclear," Nair and colleagues noted. To address this knowledge gap, the investigators evaluated any links between individuals' sense of life purpose and brain health measures through a study that included data from 138 men and women enrolled in the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Neuroscience Project (mean age, 65 years; 37, or 27%, were Black, Indigenous, and people of color). All study participants completed a seven-point questionnaire adapted from Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being scale, which included statements such as “I enjoy making plans for the future and working to make them a reality" and u...
Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Clinical News Subspecialties MRI Neuroradiology Source Type: news