LIVING WITH MY AGING BRAIN

By Rev. Robert M. Eddy

Minister Emeritus

Unitarian Universalist Church of Pensacola, FL

At

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Bay County

Panama City, Florida

On

January 25, 2009

Sixty years ago, determined to become a Psychologist, I transferred from Albany State Teachers College to a branch of Syracuse University.  One of the required courses was an introduction to Neuroanatomy.  To my amazement I passed.  One of the things I remember about that class was a trip to the General Electric plant nearby at which was displaying a primitive ancestor of the current brain imaging devices: the CET PRI MRI MEG  and others that enable us to see in real time an increasing amount of the activity constantly going on in our brains.

A few years later I was working my way through Drew Theological Seminary as a “denier”  That is an assistant to the Pathologist who did the post mortems at a nearby hospital.  I remember the first time I saw a human brain removed.  Not very impressive to see but the brain is the part of our bodies that separates us from all other creatures.  It is the human brain  which makes us unique.

But, in fact, the human brain is not that different from the brains of most Gorillas. Like the gorilla our brain displays the evolutionary history of our species.  As you see in the diagram in your orders of service, our brains, like the other organs in our bodies, are built on AND USE, the same neural structures that were used by our pre-human progenitors.  You see, evolution, does not have the ability to “go back to the drawing board.”  Structures that evolved in Lizards, and structures that developed later in primitive mammals and structures that developed later in monkeys and structures that developed later in apes – these structures  are retained in the human brain, sometimes taking on new functions – but usually operating in much the same way they did when they first evolved.  And that is what causes a great deal of our troubles.  When our ape or monkey or mammal or lizard brains take over.

If you haven’t yet read  Michael Dowd’s, “Thank God for Darwin” or visited the website of the same name you’ve missing a great treat.

Michael and his wife Connie Barlow,  in their blog at “thankgodfordarwin”  have a very interesting post on how those earlier brains, still resident in our brains,  can torpedo today’s political leaders.  The post is  titled Lizard Legacy Bites 3 More Alphas.  It’s about the embarrassing sexual hypocrisy of some political leaders  recently and not so recently disclosed. Michael quotes himself:

“Our reptilian brain [what I call, our Lizard Legacy] truly has its own agenda, a set of three ultimate goals: sustenance, survival, and sex. Evolution found ways to make sexual fulfillment extraordinarily pleasurable in order to ensure procreation. But the penis, in particular, doesn’t remember the ‘in order to’ part of the deal.” — p. 147

Michael then points out the connection between dominance and sexual drive and warns our new president to recognize the dangers by adopting the insights of what is today called “evolutionary psychology.”  (See

But my topic this morning is not about that natural, but troublesome, function of the resident lizard brain, but of the malfunction of the most recently evolved part of our brain which Michael calls “the seat of our higher purpose, our Higher Porpoise.  What I want to talk about today is what used to be called “senility” and is now called “Alzheimer’s Disease.”  My  text is a 2008 book titled, “The Myth of Alzheimer’s by Peter J. Whitehouse, M.D., Ph.D.  In the epilog, Dr. Whitehouse writes:

267    “I began an earlier chapter with a story about Socrates standing at the gates of Athens.  Equally compelling is the story of the philosopher’s death.  As Socrates lay dying on his  bed after being unjustly ordered to death by the Athenian court, he issued a final instruction to his disciples, telling them that they should “practice dying.”  Socrates’ wisdom was that it is not until we accept our mortality that we truly begin to live.  And to live means to stay cognitively vital, to have a purpose greater than ourselves, to recognize our embedded ness in local communities and in the boarder community of humanity, to take responsibility for the environment that we collectively share, to accept that our legacy is to leave a better world for our children and grandchildren.  To “practice dying” is to succeed in living.

Ending the myth of Alzheimer’s is not just about putting closure to a singular disease.  It is an invitation think more deeply about what it means to be a mortal human being who ultimately ages and exits this life.  If we who are aging can project ourselves into a different story, and develop new visions and goals for ourselves and for society, “ending Alzheimer’s” can be a gateway to a more meaningful future.”

Now, what does Dr. Whitehouse mean by “ending Alzheimer’s”?    Near the  beginning of the book (pages 7- 12) he tells the story of two patients Frank and Fran both of whom  are experiencing symptoms that could justify the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.  The first doctor however is brusque – like so many these days – and orders a series of invasive tests and two weeks later when Frank asks, ‘Do I have Alzheimer’s the doctor  tells  that, yes, he has Alzheimer’s and then begins to speak to Frank’s son as though Frank was no longer there.

Fran’s story is different.  The Neurologist orders non- invasive tests to measure the degree of impairment, takes the time to listen to Fran’s description of her experience and when she comes back one week later and  asks “Do I have Alzheimer’s, like my dad? He replies,

“Well, Fran, you have what other people might label as ‘Alzheimer’s disease,’ but I don’t believe that type of label applies well to your situation.  All people have brains that age over time, and all of our brains age in different ways.  Some people lose some special abilities and some lose verbal abilities – no two cases of brain aging are ever the same.  There is a remarkable variability in the clinical course of what people used to call Alzheimer’s disease … It’s important that you know that … you’re not diseased, even though your memory loss may be more pronounced than others your age.”

Fran interjects,

“But will I end up like my dad?”

“I’m afraid no one can predict your pattern of change over time.  But you are not going to fade away,  it’s never that simple .. even though you’re aging, you are still a vital human being with cognitive strengths who can contribute to your family and to society and explore your creative potential.”

Fran’s daughter, Beth interrupts,

“Thank you, Doctor, but I would still like to know what my mom has.”

“Beth …  I have become convinced that we need to break free from the mind-set that memory loss is some sort of a ‘disease’ that someone ‘gets.’  Your mom’s memory loss is part of what my colleagues and I are coming to understand as the variable results of brain aging.   Though it may sound a bit strange, Alzheimer’s disease cannot be diagnosed – it’s a construct that science doesn’t fully understand, which I don’t believe is very helpful in situations like yours.  There is a better framework we can use to explain your mom’s condition.”

And that, in a nutshell is Dr. Whitehouse’s thesis.

His book is not an expose’ or denunciation of his own profession.  Instead it is a call to get beyond an outmoded approach to the aging brain.  You see, Dr. Whitehouse was both physicians in the story. The story of Frank was the way he responded until quite recently.  The story of Fran is the way he sees the problem now.   Dr. Whitehouse has devoted his life to the study and treatment of what is called Alzheimer’s disease.  The most important part of his book is the final section and it is titled, “A new model for living with brain aging.”

Before he gets to “the new model” however, Dr. Whitehouse devotes six long chapters to the History of the Disease and the Science and Treatment of the dreaded so called “disease” Alzheimer’s.

When I first read the book I didn’t want to buy a copy so I got out my computer and started taking notes:  twelve single spaced pages of notes which I shared with friends but now  the book is out on paperback.  I recommend you buy it:  $16 at Barnes and Nobles.  But here are some quotes I do want to share this morning:

36 “…our bodies and minds, which have evolved over millions of years, have been optimized to ensure the proliferation and survival of our species rather than an extended life span for individuals.  Thus, the onset of age related conditions such as aging appears to be part of the ‘normal’ sequence of events that takes place after we have reached an age when we can no longer reproduce and fulfill our evolutionary purpose.  It would actually be quite abnormal for someone NOT to have increasing memory challenges in their seventies, eighties and beyond.”

And this:

26 “Although I am not a formally  practicing Buddhist … the Buddhist precept that life is like a flame has always evoked powerful sentiments in me. … 27 … I know that the flame of a cognitively affected person’s life is not extinguished by the dysfunction of the brain or the acquisition of a disease label, but wanes as the individual slowly disconnects from the past, becomes unconcerned with the future, and lives only n a constant present.  THE FLAME of personhood is always there.”

And this:

98  AZ acquired dreadful monikers – as the “never-ending funeral,”  the “mind-robber”, the “slow death of the mind”  “a loss of selfhood”  a “death that leaves the body behind.”  The disease was consistently personified as a ravaging, marauding, devastating antagonist – a microscopic monster against hitch science was fighting”  …

“by 1985 the NIA [National Institute on Aging]  had established ten Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers across the county.  I was affiliated with the [one] at Johns Hopkins. “

Finally, he quotes Sinclair Lewis to the effect that “It’s very hard to understand when your pay-check depends on not understanding.”

Dr. Whitehouse was one of the main perpetuators of what he now calls “The Myth of Alzheimer’s.”  Now he  is not only   correcting his former conclusions but also establishing alternative treatments for those who are afflicted with cognitive and perceptual dis-functions whatever the cause.

People who suffer from malfunctioning brains are still people.  The higher brain functions are not a definition of living.  In fact, it would be better if we gave up the words “normal” and “impaired” when talking about brain functioning.  As the mother of an autistic child suggested some time ago the words, “common” and “quirky” are more useful.  Many people on what is now called the “autism spectrum” have astonishing brain power not exhibited in “common” people.  Oliver Sacks in his many books has introduced us to many of these people.

The fact is that the aging process may be altering our brains in ways that put us in touch with possibilities that we could not experience when we were younger.   And we don’t need an iron rod or a massive stroke to get in touch with them.

Have you been wondering why I distributed the photo you see so poorly reproduced in your Order of Service?

It’s a reproduction of a Phineas P. Gage a moment after a premature explosion sent an iron rod through his brain in 1848.  He lived 12 years after the accident physically unimpaired – he could still work – but the  changes in affect and intellectual capacity were great. Friends said, “He is not the same person.”   His case is one of the first to  reveal the specificity  of brain areas.  His began the process of mapping those areas.  That mapping continues and reveals that many of the so called “mental” functions are dependent on very specific structures in the brain: even the sense of enlightenment.

Some of you may have seen the Oprah interview with Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D.  author of My Stroke of Insight.  Dr. Taylor was a neuroanatomist. Before her massive stroke, on Dec. 10, 1996,  she knew most of what is known about the location of various so called “mental” functions.  But her stroke “turned off” her “left brain”

I remember that first day of the stroke with terrific bittetsweetness.  In the absence of the normal functioning of my left orientation association area, my perception of my physical boundaries was no longer limited to where my skin met air.   I felt like a genie liberated from its bottle.  The energy of my spirit seemed to flow like a great whale gliding through a sea of silent euphoria.  Finer than the finest of pleasures we can experience as physical beings, this absence of physical boundary was one of glorious bliss.  As my consciousness dwelled in a flow of sweet tranquility, it was obvious to me that I would never be able to squeeze the enormousness of my spirit back into this tiny cellular matrix.

My escape into bliss was a magnificent alternative to the daunting sense of mourning and devastation I felt every time I was coaxed back into some type of interaction with the percolating world outside of me.  I existed in some remote space that seemed to be far away from my normal information processing, and it was clear that the “I” whom I had grown up to be had not survived this neurological catastrophe  I understood that Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor died that morning, and yet, with that said, who was left?”

On Dec. 10, 1996 her stroke “turned off” her “left brain” – that’s an oversimplification but one she as shorthand to explain what happened inside her brain. The result? She became “enlightened.”   She describes in the richly poetic language you just heard, and in many similar passages, what mystics from every religious tradition describe as becoming one with God.  And it’s not because of a visitation from a God or gods out there” It’s  because while her “left brain” was disabled she was able to experience the euphoria that resides in the “right brain.” Here’s what she writes toward the end of her book.

“This stroke of insight has given me the priceless gift of knowing that deep inner peace is just a thought/feeling away.  To experience peace does not mean that your life is always blissful.  It means that you are capable of tapping into a blissful state of mind amidst the normal chaos of a hectic life  …

…  I whole-heartedly believe that the feeling of deep inner peace is neurological circuitry located in our right brain.  This circuitry is constantly running and always available for us to hook into.”

Dr. Taylor’s stroke demonstrated to her that one does not need to posit a “ghost in the machine” to explain what are usually called spiritual or mystical experiences.  The scientific world view is sufficient.  Again, to understand, read the book.  The first two chapters are a short course in neuro-anatomy.

My fascination with the brain continues as my brain ages.  Reading the books referenced this morning supports my belief that there are compensations for the loss of mental faculties I valued most in youth.

So I am accepting with equanimity the diminution of my left brain capacities and I am cultivating, joyously, my right brain functions. For, at this stage in life, it is better to cultivate than to calculate.

I conclude this series as we began by singing Deanne Starr’s  words to J. S. Bach’s stirring music:

“We Sing the Joy of Living” by Deanne Starr

We sing the joy of living, We sing of mystery.

Of knowledge, lore and science, Of truth that is to be,

Of searching, doubting, testing, Of deeper insights gained,

Of freedom claimed and honored, Of minds that are unchained.

We sing the joy of living, We sing of harmony.

Of textures, sounds and colors, To touch, to hear, to see,

Of order, rhythm, meaning, Of chaos and of strife,

Of richness of sensation, Of the creating life.

We sing the joy of living, We sing of ecstasy.

Of warmth, of love, of passion, Of flights of fantasy.

We sing of joy of living, The dear, the known, the strange,

The moving, pulsing, throbbing–A universe of change.

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© 2009 Robert M. Eddy, M. Div.

Permission to reproduce granted so long as text is not altered.

For additional copies email

Rev. Robert M. Eddy, M. Div.

8076 Briaroak Drive

Pensacola, FL   32514