Hello Everyone, I just watched a very interesting video on Youtube from "Sci Show," regarding possible ways to prevent Alzheimer's disease. The video cited a study published in the British Journal of Medicine, which looked at the cause of death among a wide variety of people, and then plucked out those that had died from Alzheimer's. They then looked at the type of work these people had done, and how many had passed from Alzheimer's in each profession. The lowest number of those that died as a result of Alzheimer's was among London Cab Drivers, and the second lowest group were among First Responders, Ambulance Drivers, Firefighters, and the like. They then studied the hippocampuses of righthanded male Cab Drivers. The reason for this is that the hippocampus is where Alzheimer's appears to start. What they discovered is that these Cab Drivers have larger than average hippocampuses. Now, just like a muscle, areas of the brain tend to enlarge with use, and with being challenged, i.e. when having to solve problems. The hippocampus just happens to be the part of the brain that Is responsible for encoding memory, and understanding spatial relationships and geometric concepts. So, the theory is that Cab Drivers and First Responders working in the complex environment of London, having to learn the city and locate addresses, are working their hippocampuses to a greater degree than people in other professions, and this is enlarging and strengthening this part of their brains, which is helping them to avoid the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Now, as they point out in the video, there are many variables that need to be considered, so as per normal, there is a need for more research to strengthen the conclusions being drawn. For example, is there a possibility that people with larger hippocampuses are more likely to become Taxi Drivers and First Responders? The study also doesn't look at other professions that fell below the mean, or how those that drive cabs, or race around in emergency equipment and fight fires may not live as long as others, and therefore are not living long enough to develop Alzheimer's. Now, can any of you think of a group of professionals that may also be enlarging and strengthening their hippocampuses? The possibility that those of us in the O&M profession, as well as the students we instruct, could be receiving an additional benefit from our work is a fascinating thought. Please let me know your thoughts. I'm sorry I don't have the link to the video, but you should be able to find it relatively easily, based on the subject. Happy Holidays! Jeff