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Article: Strengthening your synapses, keys to learning: nurturing these critical neuronal connections can protect your memory and help you stay mentally alert.
- Article from:
- Mind, Mood & Memory
- Article date:
- February 1, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Belvoir Media Group, LLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A sharp mind and strong memory depend on the vitality of your brain's network of interconnecting neurons, and especially on junctions between these neurons called synapses. Since many of the brain changes that accompany aging and mental disorders are associated with deterioration or loss of synapses, learning ways to strengthen and protect these important connections may help you delay or avoid cognitive decline.
The synapse is the point of communication between one neuron and a neighboring neuron, muscle cell or gland cell. It is the site where virtually all important brain activity emerges. At this gap between the message-relaying axon of one brain cell and the ...