Lifestyle Habits for a Healthy Brain

Stress and Brain Health

Sleep and Brain Health

Social Support and the Community

Physical Exercise and Brain Health

Executive Summary: Stress and Brain Health

Presented by Dr. Dede O’Shea
Neuropsychologist, Beth Israel Lahey Health
Assistant Professor, UMass Chan Medical School

Despite often being invisible, stress and mental health problems significantly impact individuals, particularly in the Black community where multiple stressors intersect. The following summary highlights the impact of stress on brain health and recommendations for managing stress. 

  • Health systems incorporate mental and brain health, acknowledging the roles of stress, biology, nutrition, and socioeconomic factors such as financial and housing security.
  • The aging population, particularly those over 65, is expected to see a significant increase in dementia cases, prompting a deeper investigation into disease prevention and health promotion by neuropsychologists and brain scientists.
  • Research is intensively focused on understanding the biological and environmental factors contributing to cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.
  • Older Black Americans face a disproportionate burden of Alzheimer’s disease, with rates nearly twice as high as their non-Hispanic white counterparts. 
  • Black Americans have increased risk and severity of disease. 
  • Racial and ethnic groups perform differently on cognitive assessments, which contributes to our current difficulty understanding patterns of diagnosis. However, biological features of racial and ethnic groups do not fully account for these disparities.
  • Stress is a physical and mental response to both internal and external stressors, affecting nearly every system of the body and influencing behaviors and overall well-being.
  • Key behaviors and symptoms of unhealthy stress levels are identifiable and include behavioral, physical, and cognitive signs.
  • Nationwide studies have demonstrated the proportion of children and adults with regular signs of emotional stress and who were seeking a form of treatment.
  • Prior studies demonstrated factors that contribute significantly to stress and that have been prevalent among those with neurological conditions, including Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
  • Black individuals and other people of color are disproportionately affected by stress due to multiple psychosocial factors and access to mental health providers.
  • The brain is central to perceiving and adapting to stress. Multiple brain regions have key involvement.
  • Changes in brain structure and function can occur as a healthy adaptation to stress or become damaging to health with prolonged activation of brain and body systems.
  • Negative lifestyle and health changes can occur with stress, associated with multiple mental and physical health conditions.
  • Strategies for overcoming stress include education, evaluation, lifestyle habit changes, community-based activities, psychotherapy, and medications.
  • Research supports the effectiveness of certain practices for improving stress management, including practices that are particularly beneficial for Black adolescents and young adults.
Sleep is a crucial lifestyle factor that aids in the promotion of brain health and wellness. Sleep is impacted by stress and sociocultural factors. Various brain regions and structures are employed to promote sleep.
  • As defined by the World Health Organization, is a “state of brain functioning across cognitive, sensory, social-emotional, behavioral, and motor domains, allowing a person to realize their full potential over the life course, irrespective of the presence or absence of disorders.”
  • Physical health is one of several determinants of brain health, and sleep is a part of physical health.
  • Optimizing brain health improves physical and mental health.
  • Sleep quality includes latency, awakenings, and ratio of time spent sleeping to time spent in bed.
  • Sleep quantity includes the number of hours sleeping each night. Age can affect the amount of sleep needed.
  • Sleep cycle and circadian rhythm are also important features of healthy sleep.
  • The neuroanatomy of sleep shows involvement of multiple key brain regions. 
  • Using a holistic socio-ecological framework of sleep helps us have a more nuanced understanding of what factors may be impacting sleep beyond the individual. 
  • Racism and ethnic disparities can impact sleep health. African Americans have disproportionately poorer sleep health compared to other racial/ethnic groups in the US.
  • Poor sleep has various short-term and long-term consequences on health and wellness, including risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
  • There are multiple diagnoses that are found comorbid with poor sleep, including chronic mental and physical health conditions.
  • Guidelines exist for improving sleep, including habits for bedtime routine and environment.
  • Healthy sleep tips can vary throughout development and differ for babies, toddlers, and teens.
  • Strategies for overcoming stress include education, evaluation, lifestyle habit changes, community-based activities, psychotherapy, and medications.
  • Research supports the effectiveness of certain practices for improving stress management, including practices that are particularly beneficial for Black adolescents and young adults.

Executive Summary: Sleep and Brain Health

Presented by Dr. Ronnise Owens
Postdoctoral Fellow, Emory University Department of Rehabilitation Medicine

Executive Summary: Social Support and the Community

Presented by Dr. Erika Pugh
Postdoctoral Fellow, The Ohio State University 

Lifestyle factors, such as social support, are important in promoting the health and wellness of our brains. Social support is impacted by stress and ethno-racial differences.
  • Social engagement involves interacting with others, feeling connected to other people, doing purposeful activities with others, and maintaining meaningful relationships.
  • Social support involves receiving benefit through emotional and/or practical support and feeling that your social relationships provide you with a sense of well-being. Multiple types of social support are further defined.
  • Loneliness is a negative feeling that results from a difference between the connections a person wants to have with others and what they actually have.
  • Social connections have (1) structural components (e.g., duration of contact, size of group), (2) functional components (e.g., reciprocity, intensity), and (3) quality components (e.g., joyfulness, sense of belonging). 
  • Social connections and their components are further influenced by multiple defined personal and contextual factors.
  • Social engagement is related to the volume of certain brain structures and processing speed. Purposeful social activities improve cognition and lessen impairment as we age.
  • Ethno-racial, cultural, and socioeconomic differences impact the shape and nature of social activities, reporting about social situations, and access to social support
  • Cultural relevance and accessibility are needed for social support interventions in research and clinical practice.
  • High quality social connections reduce stress, lower inflammation, and improve brain health.
  • Quality of social support involves multiple factors related to prioritization of relationships and activities, communication, interactions, attendance, and technology.
  • Variety of social support involves multiple factors related to activities, joining, teaching, seeking and planning, and types of interactions.
  • The brain is central to perceiving and adapting to stress. Multiple brain regions have key involvement.
  • Changes in brain structure and function can occur as a healthy adaptation to stress or become damaging to health with prolonged activation of brain and body systems.
  • Negative lifestyle and health changes can occur with stress, associated with multiple mental and physical health conditions.
  • Strategies for overcoming stress include education, evaluation, lifestyle habit changes, community-based activities, psychotherapy, and medications.
  • Research supports the effectiveness of certain practices for improving stress management, including practices that are particularly beneficial for Black adolescents and young adults.
Physical exercise is important for both physical and mental health. This presentation explores the critical relationship between regular physical activity and brain health. 
  • Physical activity, which includes all bodily movements that significantly increase energy expenditure, plays a pivotal role in promoting overall health and well-being. It encompasses a wide range of activities from gardening to structured exercise, each contributing to various health benefits. 
  • Children and adults can enjoy benefits of regular physical activity for academic, emotional, and personal functioning. Regular physical activity has also been linked to reduced risk of physical health concerns. 
  • Research demonstrated the complex social factors influencing health behaviors in Black women and girls.
  • Exercise has short-term and long-term effects on brain health, significantly improving cognitive functions. 
  • Exercise has physiological impacts on brain activity, growth, and plasticity. 
  • Research suggests that even acute bouts of exercise can lead to improved brain function and better mood regulation.
  • Physical activity is especially beneficial in managing and mitigating symptoms of various neurological disorders, including ADHD, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. 
  • The protective effects of exercise on cognition extend to individuals with mild cognitive impairment.
  • The recommendations for physical activity vary significantly by age and fitness level, underscoring the need for personalized exercise plans. 
  • Different guidelines exist for children ages 3-5, older children and teenagers, and adults. 
  • The motivation to engage in physical activity is deeply influenced by social and environmental factors. 
  • Guidelines are offered for effective strategies and practical steps to promote exercise and physical activity in children and adults. 
  • Community centers, social systems, and personal habits foster involvement in physical activity and lifelong health.

Executive Summary: Physical Exercise and Brain Health

Presented by Dr. Ivorie Walker
Neuropsychologist, Carolinas Rehabilitation 

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