New is what they say to do

Especially when you’re 72

(And when you have Parkinson’s)

Oh wait, maybe that’s for Alzheimer’s. Or is it to ward off MS? Or just plain old age? I’m confused. I think I need a google research break. Excuse me.

I’m back and holy shit! The term du jour is neuroplasticity and it’s, well, everything! and calls for another holy shit because this is huge, folks. Neuroplasticity is the ability of networks and pathways in your brain to change, adapt and form new connections. Basically, (I think – I’m not the best science explainer), Parkinson’s makes neurons degenerate, leading to declining dopamine levels. But your brain can form new connections between undamaged neurons. And – ta da- you can protect the neurons you still have, facilitating a higher quality of life.

This is interesting to me because I am gearing up to resume my dormant acting career. I’ll get to that, don’t worry.

I’ll skip all the stuff about the basal ganglia because you won’t remember it anyway because you have Parkinson’s or you’re old or both. I will also skip the explanation of the substantia nigra and its components the pars compacta and the pars reticulata, Go away, Science Guy, I’m making a point here. Which is, your brain can create new pathways and you may be able to perform tasks you’ve been struggling with.

But what can I do to encourage that neuro thing, you ask. And here it is, the piece de resistance. The raison d’etre. There are actually several things you can do to create more neuroplasticity. Hey – idea! Would you buy a t-shirt that says :”I’m neuroplastic?” How many should I order? What color(s)?

There exist many activities that induce neuroplasticity, including Meditation, Aerobic exercise, Listening to and/or performing music, Learning new skills, and Novelty in general. Go to Croatia! Even better – before you go, learn Croatian. Take up knitting. Additional benefit, it’s meditative. Detriment – you can get hooked and spend your entire month’s mortgage payment on yarn. Become a master gardener. Or -less daunting -plant some impatiens next to the bushes in the front yard.

And what does all this have to do with the present, you ask. Deep breath; I signed up for an Improv class. I am joining that cadre of would-be comedians whose mantra is “yes, and….” Who knows where this might lead? The role of hip and stylish grandma in a laundry powder commercial? The first SNL cast member over 50? (I should probably fact-check that one).

Or….you too could try improv! Under this somewhat shy exterior lurks the soul of Ethel Merman or, for those too young to know who the hell that is, Patti Lupone. Merman, an actress famous for her belting style of song delivery, played Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun on Broadway. I played Annie at Camp Mataponi in Naples, Maine.

Here’s what i hope to gain from this novel activity: Seven two-hour nights of just-for-fun. No expectations. No particular goals. Perhaps most important, no embarrassment or self-consciousness. I anticipate a little bit of learning accompanied by lots of laughter.

There are two improv schools in Boston, and they made my choice of class really easy: i could take the one that starts at 5:45 p.m. or the one at 8:00 p.m. Those of you of a certain age like me are nodding, smiling and thinking, “Are they crazy? Who the hell goes to a class that starts at 8:00 p.m.?” It was a no-brainer; I immediately signed up for the 5:45 class, which starts September 6. I shall report back.

Here’s the kicker. When you’re old and/or you have an incurable medical condition, you don’t care much about many things that used to consume your brain, and which made you perseverate about nonsense. In fact, I suspect improv training is designed to allow ourselves to become silly and crazy and not give a shit.

And by the way, I have read of a neurologist/movement disorder specialist, who incorporates improvisation into his treatment of Parkies. More on this later.

Try and have some fun today!

Recommendation:

Annie Get Your Gun, the film starring Ethel Merman. Warning; the ideas, especially about relationships between men and women, are woefully dated. Don’t pay them much attention. But do enjoy Irving Berlin’s incomparable score.