Lisa Genova is a well known author and neuroscientist. In 2017 Genova gave a TED Talk on what can be done to prevent Alzheimer's. During her presentation, she goes over the physical cause of Alzheimer's and mentions that there are several factors that play a role in a person developing the disease. Some factors are: age, DNA, lack of deep sleep, poor cardiovascular health, and lack of aerobic exercise. So lets say you are over the age of 65, you are genetically predisposed, don't sleep a lot, have poor cardiovascular health, and don't exercise. Is there anything else you could do that could reduce your chances of developing Alzheimer's? Genova says that through learning new things our brains are creating new synapses and strengthening synapses, a process called neuroplasticity. Individuals who have more years of formal education, high degree of literacy, who take part in mentally stimulating activities, have more cognitive reserve, which is more functional synapses.