Understanding the role of genetics in certain brain diseases is empowering. For starters…

There’s no single genetic cause for dementia, but being aware of a family history of Alzheimer’s disease and the possibility of genes that raise your risk for it can put you in control of your health journey.

There are rare, hereditary causes of stroke as well. They include blood vessel disorders like Fabry’s disease and vasculitis, hematological disorders like sickle cell anemia and miscellaneous disorders like migrainous stroke and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis.

As for depression, researchers have not been able to definitively say whether it has a genetic component, though some believe heritability is between 40 and 50 percent and might be higher for severe depression.

Having a genetic predisposition for a brain disease may make you feel like there’s a ticking time bomb inside your brain — and there’s nothing you can do to disarm it. Luckily, new research indicates this may not be the case…

What your brain care score says about genetic risk

Lots of research has revealed that certain habits can strongly impact the health of the brain. And now, that impact can be measured.

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have developed a tool that calculates a person’s “brain care score” (BSC) by measuring healthy lifestyle choices. The calculated score (which can range from 0 to 21) then reflects the combined risk for the most common causes of age-related brain health conditions.

But the real question is this: If you’re genetically predisposed to a brain disease, will a high brain score make any difference?

To find out, researchers analyzed data from 368,340 participants in the UK Biobank with an average age of 58 to determine whether their BCS affects their genetic predisposition to three brain diseases: stroke, late-life depression (LLD) and dementia.

The analysis found that individuals with a higher BCS, which reflects healthier habits, had a significant decrease in their risk of stroke, LLD and dementia even when they had a higher genetic predisposition to these conditions. In other words, the protective effect of their healthier lifestyle was strong enough to offset the increased risk from genetics.

“Our findings suggest that individuals who adopt healthy lifestyle choices can protect their brain health, regardless of their genetic risk,” the researchers say.

The research team found that even a modest five-point increase in the BCS through steps such as quitting smoking or controlling blood pressure is strongly linked to a lower risk of brain diseases.

The researchers say their work “emphasizes how powerful healthy lifestyle choices can be, even for those of us who, because of our genes, are at higher risk of deterioration in our brain health as we age.

“For all of us, including those with higher genetic risk, the BCS offers a simple and direct guide to what we can do to protect our brains as we age,” they note. “Patients can feel empowered to continue to modify behaviors to improve their health outcomes, regardless of their genetic risk.”

Calculating your brain care score

The researchers are working to update the BCS to make it even more user-friendly. Right now, computing your BCS requires you to enter detailed information about your health. The researchers want the BCS tool to identify areas where users can improve their brain care without providing detailed information about their medical history.

“We are also studying how best to engage communities around the world with brain care tools that can enable them to take good care of their brains, prevent dementia, stroke and depression, and thereby help themselves and their loved ones to flourish,” the researchers say.

You can access the BCS calculator here. The BCS consists of three categories: physical, lifestyle, and social emotional. It measures activities you’re already engaged in that protect and prolong your brain health, including exercise, sleep, social interactions and lowering blood pressure.

The BCS is designed to be shared with your doctor so that they can help you improve your score and ensure you’re taking the best care of your brain possible.

When you access the BCS tool, it asks you for your blood pressure, blood sugar, total cholesterol and body mass index (BMI), all of which are typically recorded by your doctor. They can show you many different ways to improve these numbers over time.

The lifestyle measures requested by the BCS tool are all things you can track yourself: smoking, diet, alcohol consumption, exercise and sleep. Making even small adjustments in one or more of these areas over time can have a big impact on your BCS.

Science has proven that social emotional measures like stress and relationships can influence our physical health. When answering these questions, be as honest as you can so you get a correct BCS reading. And know that these are areas that can be easily improved simply by calling a friend or taking a few minutes to meditate.

Sources:

Research Spotlight: Higher brain care score found to improve brain health regardless of genetic risk — EurekAlert!

Brain Care Score — Massachusetts General Hospital

Health-Related Behaviors and Risk of Common Age-Related Brain Diseases Across Severities of Genetic Risk — Neurology

This Simple Online Tool Can Reveal Your Risk of Dementia and Depression — Everyday Health

Is Alzheimer’s Genetic? — Alzheimer’s Association

Is dementia hereditary? — Alzheimer’s Society

Rare and Hereditary Causes of Stroke — Cedars Sinai

Major Depression and Genetics — Stanford Medicine