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Neuro Athletes,

We have an enduring and complete lack of realisation of our full human potential and sadly, we are succumbing to it. It doesn’t have to be this way, what if you could leap out of bed each morning and attack the day with extreme force and ferocity? What if our performance, fat loss, recovery, digestion, brain, sleep, hormones and spirits were optimised and firing on all cylinders? What if you could have it all, total optimisation of body and brain?

You would be, Neuro Athletic. 

Just recently I read some research published earlier this year on the state of cognitive health post pandemic that frightened. The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating mental health consequences for millions of people around the world, from children still reeling from the impact of extended school closures to older adults who’ve struggled with bouts of profound isolation.

The research published shines a light on another group of people whose mental health and well-being have been hit particularly hard over the past two years: people infected with COVID-19.

The findings, published in the peer-reviewed medical journal The BMJ, suggest that people who had COVID-19 were overall about 60% more likely than those who never caught the disease to be battling serious mental health consequences in the year after their initial recovery.

The researchers analyzed the medical records of more than 150,000 adults in the United States who tested positive for the coronavirus between March 2020 and January 2021. They found that those infected with the virus were 35% more likely to develop anxiety disorders and roughly 40% more likely to experience depression or sleep disorders within the year after their diagnosis.

Those who developed COVID were also 34% more likely to have an opioid use disorder and 20% more likely to develop a substance use disorder involving drugs or alcohol.

What does this have to do with overall brain function you ask?

A 2021 literature review looked into the current neuroscience research surrounding major depressive disorder (MDD). There is a clear and plausible link between brain volume/ function and depression.

A small 2018 study showed that the size of specific regions of the brain can decrease in people who experience depression.

The shrinkage may be reversible, though.

Researchers continue to debate which regions of the brain can shrink due to depression and by how much. In a 2012 review, studies showed that the following parts of the brain can be affected:

• Hippocampus. The hippocampus supports memory, learning, navigation, and perception of space.

• Thalamus. The thalamus relays information from the cerebral cortex, which is the brain’s outer layer, to the brain stem.

• Amygdala. The amygdala regulates emotion and memory.

• Prefrontal cortices. The prefrontal cortices control cognitive functions. They manage attention, impulse control, and emotional reactions.

The amount these areas shrink is linked to the severity and length of the depressive episode. More studies are needed to support these findings, but this is the current theory about how depression may alter brain function.

In my latest episode of TNE, Tommy speaks about the neonatals brain and how brain performance has to start from the ground up. He said “we should be looking at the ways that an actual brain develops from birth and put a program like this into adulthood”.

This episode is for anyone wanting to understand the basics of optimising brain function.

Until next time…

Louisa x

Can you protect your brain? “Theres so much data out there that shows how neuroprotective lactate is for your brain- it can literally improve your cognitive performance”

In this episode you will learn:  

• How to maximise cognitive function  

• How to measure cognitive performance  

• Brain temperature control

• What does it take to build a good performing brain? 

• Why it’s not a one size fits all approach 

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