top of page
Search

The Science of You: Inside the Performance Lab

Updated: Feb 19

Welcome to the Performance Lab at CerePro Bioscience! Our goal is to help you uncover areas for improvement to guide you toward optimal brain health and longevity. We offer a range of services to capture your current status across nine categories that our expert team has identified as essential for reaching peak performance.

Let’s dive into how each of these areas contributes to the bigger picture of achieving optimal health and longevity.


Cognition


Cognition encompasses the mental processes involved in acquiring, processing, storing, and retrieving information. These cognitive functions underpin everyday tasks such as problem-solving, decision-making, emotional regulation, and learning. 


Optimizing cognition remains a central goal of brain health, as impaired cognition— whether due to poor physical health or mental health conditions like depression and anxiety— can disrupt daily functioning, hinder quality of life, and accelerate age-related cognitive decline. Studies have shown that chronic depression significantly increases the risk of cognitive decline and dementia in later life (Ownby et al., 2006; Herbert et al., 2000; Irie et al., 2016). On the other hand, “cognitive vitality is essential to quality of life and survival in old age,” as highlighted by Fillit et al. (2002). Research reinforces the vital role of cognition in maintaining brain health and supporting longevity.


Sleep


Sleep is often overlooked, undervalued, and even condemned in our productivity-driven, workaholic society. However, adequate sleep is necessary for the brain. During sleep, the activity of the glymphatic system— the brain’s drainage system— is enhanced, removing waste products like amyloid-beta. Left unchecked, amyloid-beta can aggregate into plaques, increasing the risk of neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. Sleep is also imperative for learning and memory. The brain reactivates, consolidates, and transforms new information into lasting memories during slow wave sleep (SWS). This sleep-related process enhances cognitive function, as increased duration of SWS has been found to predict better memory (Ferrarelli et al., 2019). In short, sleep is not the worthless, idle task our culture paints it to be— sleep is a key cognitive-enhancer, helping you to preserve your brain health and unlock peak performance.


Neuromuscular Health


Maintaining muscle mass and strength as you age is an indispensable step on the path toward longevity and brain optimization. As we age, there is a significant loss of muscle power, strength, and mass. Preserving muscle health is crucial for reducing the risk of falls, which are the leading cause of injury and injury-related death for adults ages 65 and over. According to the CDC, falls result in 3.6 million emergency department visits, 1.2 million hospital stays, and $80 billion in medical costs annually for older adults.


Resistance training, also known as strength training, effectively combats age-related muscle loss. In doing so, resistance exercises reduce your risk of falls in old age. Beyond that, resistance training offers brain-specific health benefits that support cognitive function. In summary, maintaining neuromuscular health is a critical facet of longevity, overall well-being, and optimal brain function.


Inflammation


Inflammation has recently emerged as a hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases, including dementia (Stephenson et al., 2018). Walker et al. (2017) found that elderly individuals who had elevated levels of inflammation during midlife exhibited significantly smaller brain volumes and poorer memory later in life. This suggests that chronic inflammation in midlife may contribute to long-term brain shrinkage and cognitive decline, highlighting the importance of addressing inflammation to promote brain health as we age. 


Balance Function


Balance function involves the brain’s ability to coordinate movements and response to sensory input, making it vital for tasks such as getting out of bed, lowering yourself into a chair, and climbing stairs. Balance is essential for preventing falls— a major risk to the well-being of older adults. Balance function is crucial for achieving optimal performance and promoting longevity by contributing to physical well-being. 


Cognitive Reserve


Cognitive reserve refers to the pool of mental resources that can be ‘dipped into’ to maintain normal cognitive function in the face of age-related changes in the brain like neuronal loss and brain shrinkage. You build this reserve by engaging in cognitive challenges, such as pursuing higher education, working in a complex profession, or by maintaining good health throughout your life. Cognitive reserve likely plays a key role in supporting optimal brain performance in old age.


General Health 


Brain health is a reflection of overall health, including cardiovascular health, diet, and exercise. For example, elevated resting heart rate— a sign of poor cardiovascular health— has been identified as a risk factor for dementia in older adults. Deng et al. (2022) found that people with high heart rate performed worse on cognitive tasks and exhibited reduced brain volume. High blood pressure (i.e., hypertension) also increases the risk of stroke and cognitive decline in later life. Therefore, general health is important for optimal brain health and extended longevity. 


Neural Enrichment 


Neural enrichment, such as meditation or learning a new hobby, engages and challenges the brain to unlock peak performance. Lazar et al. (2005) observed that four cortical areas were significantly larger in experienced meditators than non-meditators, indicating neuroplasticity— the brain’s ability to reorganize and form new connections based on personal experiences. The increased brain size in meditators may help counteract age-related cortical shrinkage, supporting brain volume and function during aging. Overall, neural enrichment offers various benefits to enhance brain health.  


Nutrition & Supplements


Research highlights key supplements that support brain and neuromuscular health, especially as we age. For example, vitamin D has become “increasingly recognized as a necessary neurosteroid with various actions in the brain,” according to Anjum et al. (2018). These “various actions” include clearing harmful substances (e.g., amyloid plaques) promoting the production of chemicals and proteins that support neuron communication, survival, and growth (i.e., neurotransmitters and neurotrophic factors), reducing neuroinflammation, and balancing calcium levels. 


Evidence suggests vitamin D is implicated in both cognitive and physical performance. Gosh et al. (2016) found that participants with normal vitamin D levels (≥ 30 ng/ml) performed better on a verbal fluency assessment that those deficient in vitamin D (< 20 ng/ml). Aspell et al. (2019) observed that low vitamin D levels correlated with reduced muscle strength and impaired physical performance in older adults. Vitamin D, along with other supplements, likely contributes to longevity and optimizes both brain and physical performance.


As we’ve explored, each of these nine categories plays a crucial role in enhancing your brain health and optimizing your performance. By focusing on these essential categories, you can unlock your full potential. The journey toward peak performance and longevity begins with understanding yourself—let CerePro Bioscience guide you every step of the way.


References 













 
 
 

Comentarios

bottom of page