Page 191 - Mind Games The Aging Brain and How to Keep it Healthy

Regain an Agile Brain • 175

foods. Let’s take a little time to discuss just a few of the neu-
rotransmitters.
Acetylcholine is one of the essential ingredients for
memory formation and maintenance. Acetylcholine is made
from the fat-like B vitamin choline, which is found in egg
yolks and organ meats. Scientists do not fully understand
the manufacturing process but do know that Alzheimer’s
disease can be linked to the underproduction of acetyl-
choline due to the destruction of the cholinergic neurons
that make it. Very few studies have been done on the effects
of choline, but the few that do exist indicate that choline
supplementation does enhance memory and reduce fatigue.
However, if you have an abundant supply of choline and do
not use it, this is similar to having a full tank of gasoline and
not driving your car. You must use your mind to make the
choline work for you.
Soldiers have been given tyrosine supplements and then
exposed to environmental stresses such as high altitudes or
prolonged cold. The typical responses to these conditions,
headaches and memory lapses, are reduced. This study also
indicates the importance of these biochemicals to the proper
working mechanisms of the brain.
Other neurotransmitters, collectively called catecholamines,
control arousal and anxiety states and are major factors in
the brain’s ability to handle stress. You may have heard of
some of these: dopamine, epinephrine, and norepenephrine.
Dopamine and norepenephrine are derived from the amino
acid tyrosine. Stress in your environment depletes your blood
of tyrosine, which is an important player in the manufacture
of neurotransmitters. Amino acids, which are found in pro-
tein-rich foods and other dietary substances, are used by the
body to create these neurotransmitters.
Deficiencies of B vitamins result in profound deleterious
effects on the brain, such as abnormal brain waves, impaired
memory, higher levels of anxiety and confusion, irritability,
and depression. Even marginal deficiency levels demonstrate
these effects. Remember serotonin? Folic acid is required to
maintain the proper levels of serotonin in your brain. If your