First came the research that suggested listening to live birdsong on your walk could make the activity even better for you. And now, new research published in the journal Neurology suggests that being an expert “birder”, or birdwatcher and identifier, could protect your brain from ageing. The study, which looked at “neuroplasticity”, or the ability of our own habits and actions to reshape our brains, looked at the brain structures of expert birders and compared them to those with less experience in the hobby. They found that the more “birders” knew about their interest, the more “dense and efficient” their brain tissue appeared. This stayed true as participants aged, with the research suggesting “high-level expertise in a complex hobby can provide a protective ‘cognitive reserve’ as we age”. What is cognitive reserve? In his book How To Prevent Dementia, neurologist Dr Richard Restak said an “obsessive” interest can help to build your cognitive reserve. He compared this reserve to a kind of wealth which gives your brain a greater buffer against unwanted changes. “Cognitive reserve theory refers to the representation stored within the brain of the knowledge, experience, and life events that accumulate during the course of a person’s lifetime,” he wrote. “A lifetime investment in building up cognitive reserve leads to healthy cognition and thinking later in life.” Erik Wing, who was the lead author of this study, explained that expert birdwatching is a cognitively-active hobby which merges lots of kinds of attention. ″[It] combines fine-grain identification, visual search and attention to the immediate environment and sensitivity to motion, pattern detection, building these elaborate conceptual networks of different related species,” he shared . “Our interests and experiences – especially the ones that we dedicate hours, hundreds of hours or decades to – leave an imprint on brain structure.” Why might birdwatching help to protect our brains as we age? This study looked at 29 more experienced people, aged between 24-75, from various ornithological groups, and 29 less avid birders (aged 22-79) from the same groups, as well as other outdoor organisations. They screened for experience at the start of the study, then did two types of MRI scans (one to show the brain’s structure, another to show its activity) to see whether expertise correlated with brain differences. They found that the more experienced a birder was, the denser the parts of the brain linked to working memory, spatial awareness and object recognition were, compared to novice participants. And when they looked at images of birds during an MRI, those same, denser parts of the brain were activated, suggesting the structural changes were linked to their activity. Those differences remained regardless of age. This doesn’t prove birdwatching definitely prevents age-related brain changes; it’s an observational study, and couldn’t show for sure that one thing caused another. But, cognitive neuroscientist Dr Robert Zatorre told New Scientist , “it suggests that maintaining brain activity with some specialised abilities is also linked to reduced effects of ageing”. He added, “This paper adds another bit of evidence in favour of the concept”. Related... Neurologists Warn Six Common Sweeteners May Accelerate Memory Loss in Middle Age The Best Snacks For Aging Well And Preventing Cognitive Decline, According To Nutrition Experts Some Simple Habits Which Can Reduce Dementia Risk By Up To 40%