From: drarwingnuttephd@gmail.com   
      
   The Link Between Vocabulary And Dementia   
      
   Trending News: If You Don't Want To Lose Your Mind, Start Stuffing It Full Of   
   Words   
      
   Simon Pearce   
   October 23, 2014   
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   Why Is This Important?   
      
   Because sometimes size does matter.   
      
      
   Long Story Short   
      
   Scientists have found that having an expansive vocabulary could prevent you   
   from developing dementia.   
      
      
   Long Story   
      
   Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. There is now a very good   
   reason for cultivating a luxurious language pallet. Scientists have found   
   there is a link between developing a strong vocabulary and preventing   
   dementia, or to use the more    
   technical term, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).   
      
   Without treading too far into the complexities of neuroscience, MCI stems from   
   a deterioration in the human brain's cognitive process responsible for memory.    
      
   Human brains develop a 'cognitive reserve' to protect themselves from losing   
   the memory function, and it seems having a large vocabulary acts as a strong   
   anchor and increases an individual's cognitive reserve, lessening the brain's   
   susceptibility to MCI.   
      
   As Cristina Lojo Seoane, co-author of the study said, "We focused on level of   
   vocabulary as it is considered an indicator of crystallized intelligence (the   
   use of previously acquired intellectual skills). We aimed to deepen our   
   understanding of its    
   relation to cognitive reserve."   
      
   The study examined a sample of 326 subjects over the age of 50. The group was   
   split into  222 healthy individuals and 104 with MCI.   
      
   The subjects' levels of vocabulary, as well as their years of schooling, the   
   complexity of their jobs, and their reading habits were all measured.    
      
   Additionally, they were  scored on a number of tests, such as the vocabulary   
   subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and the Peabody   
   Picture Vocabulary Test.   
      
   The results revealed there was a higher prevalence of MCI in those subjects   
   who achieved a lower vocabulary level score.   
      
   "This led us to the conclusion that a higher level of vocabulary, as a measure   
   of cognitive reserve, can protect against cognitive impairment," Lojo Seoane   
   said.   
      
      
   Own The Conversation   
      
   Ask The Big Question: Will developing my vocabulary sufficiently defend me   
   from developing dementia?   
   Disrupt Your Feed: What if you don't revel in the classics and prefer your   
   poetry to come from the streets? Listening to rap is just as good for the   
   vocab as reading Shakespeare.     
      
   Drop This Fact: Across his entire body of work, Shakespeare uses 28,829 unique   
   word forms, and 12,493 of those occur only once.     
      
   Expand Your Expertise   
      
   A rich vocabulary can protect against cognitive impairment [Sinc]   
   What's the difference between dementia and Alzheimer's? [Alzinfo.org]     
   More Conversation Ammo on AskMen   
      
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   Secret Memory Enhancers   
      
      
      
   http://www.askmen.com/news/sports/the-link-between-vocabulary-and-dementia.html   
      
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