Healthy activities are important throughout life .
Section 01 — Caring for Your Brain at Any Age
Myths about Brain Health
There are many misconceptions about the brain and how to keep it healthy . Separating fact from fiction can help you understand and take care of your brain .
01
Myth
Alzheimer ’ s is just part of getting older
Some memory and thinking changes are normal with age . But significant changes that interfere with daily activities ( dementia ) are not . Misplacing your keys may be normal , for example , but forgetting what they ’ re for is not .
Different diseases can cause dementia . The most common is Alzheimer ’ s . But there are others , too , such as Parkinson ’ s and a related condition called Lewy Body Dementia . Age increases the risk of these diseases but does not guarantee them . Talk with your doctor and others your age to learn whether changes may be from age or something else .
02
Myth
Brain changes happen only in old age
Changes in brain cells or structure can start years or decades before a person has symptoms or is diagnosed with disease .
This means that healthy activities are important throughout life . It also means that people at risk for brain disease can make valuable research contributions toward understanding how and why disease comes on from the earliest stages and how to prevent it .
Healthy activities are important throughout life .
22 The Michael J . Fox Foundation for Parkinson ’ s Research