Getting things cleaned up actually reverses symptoms.
When the room is tidy and well-dusted, it can be easier to think. Gone are the distractions of to-do piles, unfolded laundry and dirty lunch boxes hanging around.
Cleaning and decluttering can really make a difference.
And scientists are now saying that this difference isn’t restricted to your own home- it can also be applied to your brain.
In a new study, researchers from The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen looked closely at how the brain “cleans” itself. They examined brain cells from deceased Alzheimer’s patients, as well as brain cells in Alzheimer’s-induced stem cells, in live mice and roundworms.
It’s long been known that dementia patients have an accumulation of proteins on the brain that form plaque. This kills brain cells and causes the disease. Essentially, the “mess” is a dangerous problem.
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‘When the cleaning system does not work properly, there will be an accumulation of defective mitochondria in the brain cells,” said Vilhelm Bohr, author of the study and affiliate professor at the Center for Healthy Aging and National Institutes of Health. “The poor cleaning system is markedly present in cells from both humans and animals with Alzheimer’s.”
But get this:
“..when we improve the cleaning in live animals, their Alzheimer’s symptoms almost disappear,” Bohr added.
So, can Alzheimer’s be “cleaned up”? The researchers involved in the study believe it could be a potential treatment to be applied in the future. Clinical trials in humans are hopefully on the horizon, but haven’t yet started. Successful trials would be welcome.
In the United States, 1 in 3 seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia, according to The Alzheimer’s Association. The illness kills more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.
