Cherish Your Memories
For loved ones, perhaps one of the earliest signs of dementia is memory loss and disorientation. Medically speaking, dementia means cognitive function loss to the extent that it interferes with daily life. Memory, especially short-term, helps us navigate our place in the world and associate important people, things and places with relative meaning.
Our memories are broken down into details, encoded to be filed away in our brain. Retention and consolidation of memories requires strengthening our neural networks overtime. Connections form between several key areas associated with memory, including the hippocampus, the amygdala, cerebellum and the prefrontal cortex. The latter, an area responsible for emotional regulation and daily executive functioning, is especially important for short-term memory storage. Retrieval cues, be it an emotion, person, object or event, sends neurons firing to recall memory in seconds.
More than half of dementia cases are associated with Alzheimer’s and while it may manifest in various moments and degrees of severity, the memory loss associated with this disease involves a breakdown of those neuron pathways that enable the brain to literally ‘fire on all cylinders.’ A buildup of abnormal proteins attacks nerve cells, eventually killing them off, and preventing the smooth reception of memory, not to mention coordination, communication and reason. While several factors, including genetic predisposition, contribute to the likelihood of having Alzheimer’s, studies have shown that stimulating neural pathways and increasing blood flow to the brain may strengthen the ability to combat substantive cognitive function loss.
By practicing RMTi, we strengthen our neural networks and reiterate the functional foundations within our brain that support our interactions in the world. Several reflexes involve movement originating from a head or neck tilt, like TLR and Landau, which in turn increase blood flow to the prefrontal cortex. A strong correlation between rhythmic movement therapy and cognitive retention is a promising avenue to explore if you or someone you love is predisposed to dementia.
Contact Thrive Therapy if you have questions about dementia, emotional or behavioral challenges that emerge at any time in life.
