disease.^35 A team of researchers out of the University of
Southern California have called the locus coeruleus, the
main hub of norepinephrine release, the “ground zero” of
Alzheimer’s disease. In Alzheimer’s, up to 70 percent of
norepinephrine-producing cells are lost, and the decline of
norepinephrine tightly correlates with the progression and
extent of cognitive impairment.^36 The researchers
demonstrated in rodents that causing norepinephrine to be
released helped protect neurons from inflammation and
excessive stimulation (both key players in Alzheimer’s
disease).^37
Optimizing the System
Now that you know how to optimize each neurotransmitter,
let’s go over some practical steps you can take to ensure that
your whole brain is functioning at its peak at any given
time.
Protect Your Synapses
The point where neurons meet is called a synapse. Each
neuron may hold connections with up to ten thousand other
neurons, passing signals to one another via as many as one
thousand trillion synaptic connections.^38 (This is modest in
comparison to a child’s brain: a three-year-old may have
one quadrillion synapses!) Keeping these connection points
healthy by minimizing excessive oxidation is key to the
optimization of your many cognitive processes. In fact,