طريقة وحيدة وفعالة لإبطاء شيخوخة الدماغ.. ما هي؟

أفاد الدكتور أليكسي توكمانتسيف، أخصائي طب الأعصاب، بأنه لا يوجد علاج نهائي لإيقاف شيخوخة الدماغ Brain aging، ولكن يمكن إبطاؤها، بمساعدة طريقة وحيدة فعّالة، وهي أنّ مزيجاً من النشاط الذهني والبدني، والتواصل الاجتماعي، والتحكم بالأمراض المزمنة، هو السبيل الوحيد للحفاظ على وظائف الدماغ.

يقول توكمانتسيف: "للتحفيز الفكري، من المفيد تعلم أنشطة جديدة: تعلم لغة أجنبية، أو تعلم العزف على آلة موسيقية، أو قراءة الكتب ومناقشتها، أو حل الألغاز. ومن المهم أن تتطلب المهمة تركيزاً وجهداً. كما أنّ ممارسة الرياضة بانتظام أمر مهم جداً".

Taking a short afternoon nap is more than just a way to beat midday fatigue; it may actively protect the aging brain. A landmark study led by researchers from University College London and the University of the Republic in Uruguay found a direct link between habitual daytime napping and a larger total brain volume. Because our brains naturally shrink with age, a process that accelerates in people with cognitive decline and dementia, maintaining brain size is a key marker of long-term neurological health. To look past lifestyle habits or underlying illnesses that often cloud sleep studies, the team analyzed genetic data and brain scans from nearly 379,000 UK Biobank participants aged 40 to 69. They focused on 92 genetic markers that naturally predispose people to daytime napping. Because these genes are set at birth, comparing people with and without them allowed scientists to isolate the true biological effect of daytime sleep. The results showed that people genetically wired to nap regularly had a total brain volume 15.8 cubic centimeters larger on average than non-nappers. This preserved brain tissue is equivalent to slowing down normal age-related brain shrinkage by 2.6 to 6.5 years. While nappers did not show differences in specific memory test scores, reaction times, or the size of the brain's memory center (the hippocampus), daytime sleep appears to act as a broad protective shield across the entire brain, likely compensating for poor nighttime rest. According to the researchers, keeping early afternoon naps under 30 minutes is the ideal way to gain this anti-aging brain boost without disrupting nighttime sleep. Original Reference: Paz V, Dashti HS, Garfield V. Is there an association between daytime napping, cognitive function, and brain volume? A Mendelian randomization study in the UK Biobank. Sleep Health (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.sleh.2023.05.002

— Science & Nature (@ScienceIsNew) October 18, 2026

• مواضيع متعلقة

دراسة: بعض الاضطرابات العصبية النفسية ترتبط بشيخوخة الدماغ

2 تشرين اول 10:40

الأنشطة الإبداعية تبطئ الشيخوخة البيولوجية للجسم

1 تشرين اول 10:33

اقرأ أيضاً: العلماء يدقون ناقوس الخطر.. ارتفاع حالات الخرف عالمياً بوتيرة أسرع

tonight, while you sleep, this happens. waves of fluid rinse through your brain about every 20 seconds, washing out the waste of the day. https://t.co/HQUhAHSVN3

— Odon (@IAMOdon) October 19, 2026

ويؤكد على أهمية الحفاظ على العلاقات الاجتماعية. كما ينصح بجعل لقاء الأصدقاء، والمشاركة في الأنشطة المشتركة، والانخراط في الحياة الأسرية جزءاً من الحياة اليومية لإبطاء شيخوخة الدماغ.

وبالإضافة إلى ذلك، يجب ضبط مستوى ضغط الدم ومستوى الغلوكوز والكوليسترول، والتحكم في الوزن الزائد، والإقلاع عن التدخين، كل هذا يساعد على إبطاء الشيخوخة، وفق الطبيب.

كما ينصح بعدم تناول الفيتامينات ومكملات الذاكرة من دون وجود دواعٍ طبية واضحة.

Regular daily napping is directly linked to larger total brain volume, potentially delaying brain aging by up to 6.5 years. According to a study led by researchers at University College London and published in the journal Sleep Health, habitual daytime nappers possess significantly larger total brain volumes than non-nappers. Utilizing Mendelian randomization to examine genetic data from nearly 380,000 UK Biobank participants, scientists discovered a causal link between genetic predispositions to napping and larger brain size. The structural difference in volume between regular nappers and non-nappers was equivalent to roughly 2.6 to 6.5 years of aging, or about 4 years on average, offering compelling evidence that short daytime rests could help preserve structural brain health over time. While brain shrinkage naturally accelerates as people age, maintaining total brain volume is widely regarded as a key indicator of cognitive resilience and lower dementia risk. Interestingly, while the study highlighted clear benefits for overall brain size, it found no direct impact on reaction times, visual memory, or hippocampal volume, suggesting that napping primarily functions as a structural buffer against neurodegeneration rather than an immediate booster for specific cognitive tasks. Researchers emphasize that brief 15- to 30-minute naps in the early afternoon appear to offer the ideal balance, providing protective benefits without disrupting nighttime sleep. As brain health remains a top priority for aging populations worldwide, these findings challenge long-held workplace stigmas surrounding daytime rest and suggest that a brief midday power nap might be an essential component of lifelong health maintenance. source: Paz, V., Dashti, H. S., & Garfield, V. Is there an association between daytime napping, cognitive function, and brain volume? A Mendelian randomization study in the UK Biobank. Sleep Health, 9(5), 786-793.

— Smart Science (@SmartScience) October 18, 2026

اقرأ أيضاً: عوامل خفية تسرّع شيخوخة الدماغ.. ما هي؟