Harvard neuroscientist Sara Lazar discusses how meditation and yoga can transform an aging brain.
The Lazar lab is currently recruiting individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) for a study to test the effect of meditation on dementia-related symptoms. For more information, please write BrainTrain@mgh.harvard.edu, or call (617)-643-7271.
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Sara W. Lazar, PhD is an Associate Researcher in the Psychiatry Department at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Assistant Professor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School. The focus of her research is to elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of yoga and meditation, both in clinical settings and in healthy individuals. She is a contributing author to Meditation and Psychotherapy (Guilford Press). She has been practicing yoga and mindfulness meditation since 1994. Her research has been covered by numerous news outlets including The New York Times, USA Today, CNN and WebMD, and her work has been featured in a display at the Boston Museum of Science. More information can be found here.
When I began to grasp that I have Alzheimer’s, I automatically understood the future I’d have… and, it seems pretty bleak.
I’m 65, this year. My father had inklings of Alzheimers at my age. Two of his sisters (and possibly #3) were near his age. They died similarly. I am losing words… but, I can focus and speak well… I can find other words that can work. I left my job as an Elementary Teacher. I am so frightened of “my turn”, and I am currently experiencing so much fear. How do I get through?
Go to the literature on meditation and begin your practice immediately, along with some form of Yoga. Combine with listening to music at the right volume and sound frequency.