Learn more about how you can improve your cognition.

It’s estimated that 20-50% of people with Parkinson's Disease experience mild cognitive impairment (MCI). MCI can include problems with memory, language and problem solving. MCI is the stage between typical age-related cognitive changes and the more severe cognitive decline of dementia. Symptoms of MCI can stay the same or worsen over time.
Cognition refers to all forms of knowing and awareness, meaning our ability to process information and apply it. The areas of cognition include:
Attention: Attention is the ability to focus despite distractions. People with PD often find it difficult to concentrate, especially when distractors are present or if you are attempting to do two or more things at the same time.
Language: People with PD often describe language difficulties as trouble with word finding, or expressing that the word they want is “on the tip of their tongue.”
Memory: Memory includes immediate, short term and long term memory. Changes in memory for people with PD can impact daily activities, such as remembering someone’s name, where you put the keys or difficulty learning steps to complete a task.
Executive functions: Simply put, these are the set of skills people use to get things done. Executive functions include working memory, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility to switch between tasks or think about something in more than one way. People with PD often explain executive function difficulties with following a recipe or balancing a checkbook.
Visuospatial skills: These are the skills that allow us to understand and use visual information. PD can cause visuospatial impairments such as difficulty with visual perception including judging distances, facial recognition and difficulty maintaining visual attention.
Cognitive changes in PD happen because of protein accumulation in regions of the brain that are responsible for these cognitive processes. Cognitive changes in PD can range from mild to severe and can change over time as PD progresses. PD isn’t the only thing that impacts cognition and it’s important to know other factors that can contribute to cognitive impairment. Medical illnesses, seizures, strokes, traumatic brain injury and mental health disorders can impair cognitive functions.
If you or a loved one is experiencing mild cognitive decline, there are things you can do to help maintain brain function and reduce symptoms.
In recent years, there has been more research done in our brain’s ability to build new neural networks and improve, or at least maintain, cognitive abilities as we age. Researchers have determined a set of principles that help to optimize brain health and function and have coined the term Cognitive Fitness.
Cognitive Fitness is a state of optimized ability to learn, remember, reason, plan and adapt. The more cognitively fit you are, the better you are at making decisions, solving problems and dealing with stress and change. Here are the key principles to maintain an engaged brain:
Cognitive Stimulation: Complete any form of mental stimulation that you enjoy on a daily basis. If you enjoy jigsaw puzzles and crosswords, keep doing them! But if you’re looking for more ideas, here are some other cognitive exercises you might like to try: learn something new (new language, new board game, new hobby), card games, word games, listen to a podcast, read an article or book, sudoku and more. Any activity that makes you think is a mental exercise.
Optimize Sleep: Maintain a healthy sleep routine for brain health. Adults should aim to get 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Create routines that optimize sleep, such as avoiding screens before bed and stick to a routine where you wake up and go to bed at the same time every day. Good sleep improves your physical and mental health. Sleep disturbances are common in PD. Talk with your doctor about medications and sleep treatments.
Nutrition: Your diet impacts your brain health. Aim for a diet containing abundant fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains. Limit the amount of animal products, instead opt for plant-based protein such as beans, nuts, chia seeds, legumes and quinoa.
Navigate Stress: Finding healthy ways to manage stress is important for your cognitive health. Ideas of stress management include: deep breathing, going for a walk, meditation, calling a friend or relative, yoga and therapy.
Exercise: Physical activity strengthens brain health. Adults with PD should aim for 150 minutes of exercise per week. This includes aerobic activity, strength training, balance and flexibility. Find the type of exercise you enjoy, so you’ll stick with it.
Check-ups: Managing your medical health is a vital part of brain health. Staying up to date with all medical providers, managing chronic disease and taking your medications as prescribed are important ways to help take care of your brain.
Talk: Socialization improves brain health by stimulating the brain and challenging your thinking. Social interactions can lead to new neural connections and helps to boost mood. Consider combining a few principles and taking an exercise class which can help with exercise, socialization and cognitive stimulation all at once!
If you have PD and would like to learn more about cognitive fitness, Connect Therapy offers a free 8-week course through the APDA Iowa Chapter. Email info@connecttherapyiowa.com for registration.
If you don’t have PD and are interested in our cognitive fitness class, please call or email! We offer private cognitive fitness coaching or will host a class if there is enough interest.
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