Brian Lawlor
I am Professor of Old Age Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin & Co-Director of the Global Brain Health Institute. My main research interests are in the detection, diagnosis & prevention of dementia
Location Dublin, Ireland
Activity
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Brian Lawlor replied to Phillip Dickenson
A positive attitude and having a purpose in life are important to maintaining health and wellness and are part of the concept of brain health. We know that having a negative attitude towards ageing predicts slower walking speed, the onset of depression and even a decline in cognition. So, your brain health, which has both subjective as well as objective...
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Brian Lawlor replied to peter bailey
Important point: awareness and messaging is only the first step- behaviour change is what's important and that's harder to achieve. That's why we need to promote brain health as a value.
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Brian Lawlor replied to Matilda McCrimmon
I believe that there's benefits to online contact and relationships particularly if you can maintain an empathy focus but my gut sense is that face to face is better. Perhaps a mix is the best way to go.
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Brian Lawlor replied to Linda Sommerlade
A positive attitude and having purpose in life do help!
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Brian Lawlor replied to [Learner left FutureLearn]
This is where policy comes in. We need to create systems level changes in society that facilitate people to get exercise, socialise, and be able to afford healthy foods. It's not going to be easy but if we want to achieve brain health for all and particularly those most at risk, we have to tackle inequities.
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Brian Lawlor replied to Brian Healey
You're right. Contact sports are not without risk and these risks must be managed properly. Concussion and brain injury will be covered later in the course. Poor vision is a risk factor for dementia but not yet listed by the Lancet Commission. We continue to learn more about additional risk factors.
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Completely agree. Knowledge and awareness are key and we know that many people are not aware of how to improve their brain health
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Brian Lawlor replied to [Learner left FutureLearn]
Connection heals! Social connection is a huge driver of brain health. Keep connecting.
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Agree completely. And like physical fitness, brain health is a health promoting value.
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Exercise is like putting money into your 'brain bank'. It's a brain health investment!
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Thanks for this comment. We can improve our own brain health but also become 'brain health ambassadors' for others and show people at home and at work how they can reduce risks to their brain and improve brain health.
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Brian Lawlor replied to Brian Healey
It's never too early, and its never too late to look at risk reduction
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Brian Lawlor replied to Therese Grace
Thanks Therese. The benefits of education to the brain's development occur early and for this reason we must ensure equitable access to education for all children so that we can build their brain health and cognitive reserve.
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@marytheresamoran As with every pension, you need to start investing in your brain health pension as early as possible!
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I love this network description of brain health. Growing connections within your brain and between people is good for your brain health!
