Reducing Risk of Brain Degeneration

<p>Dr. Peter Arnett, past president of NAN and Penn State Professor, welcomes Dr. Michelle Braun to this episode of <em>Brain Beat</em> to talk about Alzheimer’s Disease, debunk related myths, and discuss methods that help reduce the risk of falling victim to the disease.&nbsp; Dr. Braun is a Yale and Harvard trained neuropsychologist and a national leader in the field of brain health and cognitive functions.&nbsp; As a former Psychiatry instructor at Harvard Medical School and Assistant Director of Inpatient Mental Health, Dr. Braun is passionate about empowering individuals to boost brain health and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s.&nbsp; Since her start in the industry, she has been featured on PBS, NPR, Fox, CBS, and I Heart Radio; been recognized as 2022’s Woman of Influence by <em>Success Magazine; </em>and is a member of the 40 under 40 Class of 2013 by the <em>Milwaukee Press Journal</em>.&nbsp; Presently, Dr. Braun writes a popular column on brain health and psychology and has presented for the Alzheimer’s Association over the past 17 years.&nbsp;</p><p>On today’s episode though, Dr. Braun and Dr. Arnett open up the conversation by debunking the many myths surrounding Alzheimer’s disease. While Alzheimer’s is widely recognized as a genetic disease, more often than not environmental factors impact its onset just as much, if not more so.&nbsp; That’s why Dr. Braun finds it so important to talk about the healthy behaviors that reduce our risk of disease.&nbsp; Today she not only discusses the benefits of exercise and nutrition for cognitive functioning, but the paradoxical impact of alcohol on the brain as well. And as both she and Arnett draw this episode to a close, she finds it important to note that it is never too late to improve brain health.&nbsp; In fact, most of her research has been conducted on adults over the age of 60.&nbsp; So listen in to today’s episode to learn about how you too can decrease your risk for Alzheimer’s disease regardless of how old you are or how busy your schedule is - you mig