FINDING YOUR WAY TOWARD HEALTHY COGNITION

To get around in our environment, we can use two strategies associated with two different parts of the brain:

The spatial strategy, which relies on a part of the brain called the hippocampus, involves building relationships between environmental landmarks, such as buildings or parks, to form cognitive maps (mental maps) of an area. The hippocampus is also involved in memory for life events (in a given time and place) called episodic memory.

The response strategy relies on a part of the brain called the caudate nucleus. It involves learning a route by performing a sequence of movements (e.g., turn right) from specific points (e.g., at the hospital). The response strategy does not involve building a cognitive map.

Cognitive maps allow us to derive shortcuts to go to a known destination coming from a new starting point!

Older adults who use a spatial strategy (i.e., use mental maps) when finding their way to places in their environment have :

• More activity in their hippocampus.
• A larger hippocampus.
• Better scores on tests used to assess the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

• The hippocampus is one of the first brain regions affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Some research studies show that pathology of the hippocampus precedes Alzheimer’s disease by several decades.Therefore, it is critical to form healthy habits in order to have a healthy hippocampus, prior to the onset of the disease.
• A larger hippocampus is associated with a reduced risk of numerous disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, schizophrenia, and depression.
• People who use a spatial strategy are less likely to take drugs; they consume half the amount of alcohol and smoke fewer cigarettes.

It’s about prevention, not cure!

Your response strategy mode which relies on your caudate nucleus is very strong and is constantly active…

• When you are in a hurry and do not have time to build cognitive maps.
• When you perform routine actions.
• When you feel stressed and fall back to autopilot.

The response strategy can dominate over the spatial strategy and this can lead to the deterioration of the hippocampus and increase your risk of neurological and psychiatric disorders.

However, response strategies can be efficient to help you create healthy habits.

You can only use one strategy, spatial or response, at any given time, meaning you cannot use both simultaneously.

Therefore…

BALANCE IS THE KEY! 

Dr. Véronique D. Bohbot’s research concludes:

Make cognitive maps

• Draw a bird’s eye view of your environment with landmarks.
• Take new streets and shortcuts to go somewhere while your GPS is off.
• Look for new types of exercises at vebosolutions.com.

Make some changes to your daily routine

• Be mindful of your habits.
• Incorporate new behaviors into your daily life.

Follow the 4 pillars plan, which is based on scientific research, and remember that old habits die hard and new ones come with practice!

• English TV, Scientific Documentary: CBC Nature of things: Where Am I?
• English Radio, Radio Health Journal : GPS navigation and hippocampus health
• French Radio, ICI Radio-Canada Première : «Les années lumière»
• French TV, General Lecture: Canal Savoir Ecole MiniPsy
• MSNBC GPS Addict

For more scientific information:
Memory & Motion laboratory

VeboSolutions
www.vebosolutions.com
info@vebosolutions.com

Memory & Motion Laboratory
6875 boul. LaSalle, Verdun, Quebec Canada H4H 1R3

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THE EVELYN F. MCKNIGHT BRAIN RESEARCH FOUNDATION