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10/03/2007: "Purpose-driven people escape some diseases"

A surprising study of elderly people suggests that those who see themselves as self-disciplined, organized achievers have a lower risk for developing Alzheimer's disease than people who are less conscientious.

A purposeful personality may somehow protect the brain, perhaps by increasing neural connections that can act as a reserve against mental decline, said study co-author Robert Wilson of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois.

Astoundingly, the brains of some of the dutiful people in the study were examined after their deaths and were found to have lesions that would meet accepted criteria for Alzheimer's -- even though these people had shown no signs of dementia.

[ When you think of something beyond yourself, you find fulfilment in life and are always reaching for something greater. Otherwise, you stagnate, because even TV isn't fascinating enough to keep you occupied for life. Then your unused brain rots and your children pay for your excess in visit guilt, boredom and medical costs. ]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/10/01/personality.alzheimers.ap/index.html