Light, physical activity reduces brain aging

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Lauren Bailey

https://neurosciencenews.com/brain-aging-physical-activity-12018/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+neuroscience-rss-feeds-neuroscience-news+%28Neuroscience+News+Updates%29

This article is about evidence supporting the idea that light amounts of exercise can reduce aging in the brain. People who engage in more physical activity at a young age and continue through adulthood may have a reduced cognitive decline and dementia. Studies have found that 150 minutes of moderate exercise have substantial health benefits and those who participate in an additional hour of physical activity result in about one year less of brain aging. Those who did not participate in the activity showed lower brain volumes when compared to those who did participate in exercise. This provided insight into the effects of physical activity and mental health.

I found this interesting to read about because of the book we read in class, Brain Rules. In this book, the author talked about the ways exercise can improve cognition and neural connections. Physical activity is something college students in particular struggle to include in their routine. By learning more about the future physical and mental benefits of participating in exercise people are more likely to continually incorporate it into their life. This is also interesting to learn about because it shows how the body and the brain work together as one uniform system.

Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 22, 2019 at 7:23 AM

    In addition to Medina's book and the section regarding exercise, further research has been conducted about the type of exercise most effective in improving brain functioning. One article explained a study done at the University of British Columbia, where it was found that aerobic exercise appeared to boost the size of the hippocampus, but resistance training and balance exercises did not show the same effect. From what I've learned in other classes and from other articles, it would appear that the boost in hippocampal size as a result of aerobic exercise would be due to the increased blood flow and oxygen present in the brain. Additionally, there are several studies that show that the prefrontal cortex and the medial temporal cortex have a larger volume in people who exercise. The article published at Harvard University shows that exercise plays an integral role in brain functioning, but it's also important to know what type of exercise is most effective in aiding with brain function.
    https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110

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