Neurodegenerative Disorders and Preventions

UBC PATHS Blog Post: March 12, 2026

Most students don’t think about Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s when they’re pulling an all-nighter before midterms. Neurodegenerative disorders feel distant, something that happens decades from now. But research increasingly shows that brain health is shaped across the lifespan. The habits built in your teens and twenties may influence how resilient your brain is at 70.

What are Neurodegenerative Disorders?

Neurodegenerative disorders are conditions that involve progressive loss of neurons, cells that allow us to think, move, remember, and process information. One of the most well known examples of Alzheimer’s disease which is characterized by memory loss and abnormal protein buildup in the brain. Another is Parkinson’s disease which primarily affects movement due to the loss of dopamine-producing neurons. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) affects motor neurons, leading to progressive muscle weakness.

While genetics can increase susceptibility, lifestyle plays a significant role in modifying long-term risk. The encouraging part? Many protective factors are directly within a students’ control.

Exercise - The Most Powerful Brain Protector

Regular physical activity is one of the strongest protective factors against cognitive decline.

Exercise:

• Increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which supports neuron growth and survival

• Improves blood flow to the brain

• Reduces inflammation

• Promotes neurogenesis in the hippocampus (critical for memory)

Both aerobic training (running, swimming, cycling) and resistance training appear beneficial. Even 30 minutes of moderate activity most days of the week can have measurable effects on brain structure and function.

For students, this means movement isn’t just about physique or performance, it’s an investment in long-term cognitive resilience.

Nutrition - Fuelling the Brain Properly

What you eat influences inflammation, oxidative stress, and metabolic health, all of which affect the brain.

Patterns associated with lower neurodegenerative risk include:

• The Mediterranean Diet

• High intake of omega-3 fatty acids

• Fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants

• Limited ultra-processed foods

Insulin resistance and poor cardiovascular health are increasingly linked to dementia risk. Since the brain depends heavily on steady glucose and oxygen delivery, metabolic dysfunction can accelerate neuronal damage over time.

Students often default to convenience foods during busy weeks. Small improvements such as adding leafy greens, berries, nuts, fatty fish, can compound over decades.

Sleep - The Brain’s Cleaning System

This may sound crazy, but sleep is not optional maintenance, it is biological repair.

During deep sleep, the brain activates the glymphatic system, which helps clear metabolic waste products including amyloid-beta which is a protein associated with Alzheimer’s pathology. Chronic sleep deprivation may interfere with this clearance process.

For students, irregular schedules, late-night studying, and screen exposure can disrupt circadian rhythms. Prioritizing 7-9 hours of consistent sleep may be one of the most underrated protective strategies available.

Build Cognitive Reserve

The concept of cognitive reserve refers to the brain’s ability to compensate for damage. Higher education levels, lifelong learning, and mentally stimulating activities are associated with reduced dementia risk.

Ways students can build reserve:

• Learn new languages

• Play musical instruments

• Engage in complex problem-solving

• Read widely beyond coursework

University itself can act as a protective environment, but only if learning is active and challenging.

Social Connection Matters

Loneliness and social isolation are linked to increased inflammation and higher dementia risk. Strong social networks appear protective.

Team sports, clubs, study groups, and close friendships all contribute to emotional regulation and cognitive engagement. Human interaction stimulates multiple neural systems simultaneously including language, memory, empathy, executive function, all of which creates rich cognitive activity

Reduce Risk Factors Early!

Students can also lower risk by avoiding behaviours associated with neurodegeneration:

• Smoking

• Excessive alcohol use

• Repetitive head trauma

• Chronic unmanaged stress

Protecting cardiovascular health is especially important, since heart and brain health are deeply interconnected.

A Simple Action Plan for YOU 

Daily

• Move for 30 minutes

• Eat minimally processed foods

• Get consistent sleep (7 hours or more!)

Weekly

• Strength train 2-3 times

• Engage socially

• Learn something new outside your comfort zone

Long-term

• Manage stress proactively

• Protect your head from injury

• Maintain cardiovascular fitness

  
  

Final Thoughts

Neurodegenerative diseases do not suddenly appear when you are old. They develop slowly, often over decades. While no strategy eliminates risk entirely, the cumulative effect of exercise, nutrition, sleep, cognitive stimulation, and social engagement can significantly influence brain resilience.

Students often focus on grades, internships, and short-term goals. But the same habits that improve academic perforation today may also protect cognitive function decades from now.

Your future brain is being shaped right now.

Citations

Ammar Al-Chalabi, Preventing neurodegenerative disease, Brain, Volume 144, Issue 5, May 2021, Pages 1279–1280, https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awab151

Ibrahim, A. M., Chauhan, L., Bhardwaj, A., Sharma, A., Fayaz, F., Kumar, B., Alhashmi, M., AlHajri, N., Alam, M. S., & Pottoo, F. H. (2022). Brain-derived neurotropic factor in neurodegenerative disorders. Biomedicines, 10(5), 1143. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10051143 

Jellinger K. A. (2010). Basic mechanisms of neurodegeneration: a critical update. Journal of cellular and molecular medicine, 14(3), 457–487. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1582-4934.2010.01010.x

Stern, Y., & Barulli, D. (2019). Cognitive Reserve. Handbook of Clinical Neurology, 167, 181–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-804766-8.00011-x 

Sujkowski, A., Hong, L., Wessells, R. J., & Todi, S. V. (2021). (publication). The protective role of exercise against age-related neurodegeneration (Vol. 74). Aging Research Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2021.101543

What do we know about diet and prevention of alzheimer’s disease? | National Institute on Aging. National Institute of Aging. (2023). https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers-and-dementia/what-do-we-know-about-diet-and-prevention-alzheimers-disease

Neurodegenerative Diseases. Cleveland Clinic. (2025, July 3). https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24976-neurodegenerative-diseases