If you practice your sense of direction with a real map… Alzheimer’s disease can be prevented
A study has found that turning off the car’s GPS (Global Navigation System) app and finding your way around by looking at old-fashioned maps can greatly help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
A research team at McMaster University in Canada investigated the spatial processing abilities of 158 healthy adults aged 18 to 87 who had experience in orienteering, an outdoor sport. Orienteering is a sport that competes to see who reaches the destination the fastest through a specific point with only a map and a compass in mountains, fields, and forests.
Research has shown that enjoying orienteering can help train the brain and prevent cognitive decline. Those who participated in orienteering had significantly higher spatial exploration and memory than those who did not. It has helped me a lot in finding my way in my daily life. “Orienteering, which sharpens search skills and memory, is good for preventing dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease,” said Jennifer Hays, a professor of kinematics at McMaster University, who is the main author of the study.
According to the research team, the physical and cognitive abilities required during orienteering can stimulate parts of the brain that our ancient ancestors used for hunting and gathering. The human brain evolved thousands of years ago to adapt to harsh environments by creating new neural pathways. Today, food to eat and GPS apps are readily available. The same brain functions as in the old days are unnecessary. The research team said that GPS systems in the digital world deprive many people of opportunities to improve spatial navigation and memory. It also adversely affects the way the brain processes spatial information and memory. Disorientation is a prominent sign of Alzheimer’s disease
The research team said, “To prevent Alzheimer’s disease, it is desirable to turn off the car’s GPS and find the way with an old-fashioned map and compass when going on a long journey.” Orienteering can also be applied on a daily basis, such as running, walking, or biking. Men and women aged 6 to 86 participate in orienteering. The results of this study (Orienteering experts report more proficient spatial processing and memory across adulthood) were published in the international journal PLOS ONE and introduced by the US science and culture portal ‘Studyfinds’.
