Stand Up for Brain Health: The Link Between Physical Inactivity and Dementia Risk
Humans have evolved to move, an essential skill for the survival and flourishing of the species millions of years ago. However, modern society is filled with environments that limit movement and actually require prolonged periods of physical inactivity: at work, at home, in school, and throughout the community. This "global epidemic" of sedentary behavior is a relatively recent phenomenon, associated with the prevalence of technology in all aspects of daily life. A multitude of previous studies have shown that exercise can lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, osteoporosis, and many other debilitating conditions. Exercise has also been theorized to lower dementia risk through increasing blood flow to the brain, promoting neural development, and delaying structural decline. However, there is a lack of scientific research on how exactly sedentary behavior can influence the onset of dementia.
Researchers at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at the University of California, Los Angeles were interested in studying how prolonged periods of inactivity can impact a region of the brain known as the medial temporal lobe, or the MTL. The MTL is a region of the brain critically involved with long-term memory, essential for both learning information itself and storing it for later retrieval. The MTL also encompasses structures that are vital in maintaining memory, such as the hippocampus and the fusiform gyrus. Physical activity is positively associated with total MTL volume, but little research has been done on the relationship between sedentary behavior and the MTL subregion of the brain.
In their study, the researchers at the Semel Institute recruited participants with no history of dementia and assessed their levels of physical activity through a self-reported questionnaire. In addition, MRI scans were used to analyze the tissue thickness of the brain structures in the MTL regions of participants. When controlling for age, the study found that total the less hours sitting per day, the thicker the MTL tissue was in a person. In addition, the researchers found evidence that even high-level, intense physical activity cannot offset the harmful effects of sitting for extended periods of time.
Researchers at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at the University of California, Los Angeles were interested in studying how prolonged periods of inactivity can impact a region of the brain known as the medial temporal lobe, or the MTL. The MTL is a region of the brain critically involved with long-term memory, essential for both learning information itself and storing it for later retrieval. The MTL also encompasses structures that are vital in maintaining memory, such as the hippocampus and the fusiform gyrus. Physical activity is positively associated with total MTL volume, but little research has been done on the relationship between sedentary behavior and the MTL subregion of the brain.
In their study, the researchers at the Semel Institute recruited participants with no history of dementia and assessed their levels of physical activity through a self-reported questionnaire. In addition, MRI scans were used to analyze the tissue thickness of the brain structures in the MTL regions of participants. When controlling for age, the study found that total the less hours sitting per day, the thicker the MTL tissue was in a person. In addition, the researchers found evidence that even high-level, intense physical activity cannot offset the harmful effects of sitting for extended periods of time.
Image Source: stevepb
The researchers acknowledge some limitations in its research methodology. The questionnaire, while easy to use, was limited by the inability of older study participants to recall past events. In addition, the study was cross-sectional, meaning that data was collected from people of a variety of ages and backgrounds at one time. While these studies are easy to collect data for, differences may result from particular historical or personal conditions and not from the variable being studied. However, the results from this study are promising for developing preventative treatments for dementia in the future. Atrophy, or the wasting away of neglected tissues, of the MTL is related to aging and has been closely linked to declines in cognitive function. Research has shown that MTL atrophy is a strong predictor for impaired memory, even resulting in dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease. Projections on the effect of Alzheimer's risk factor reduction suggest that a 25% reduction in sedentary behavior for at-risk patients could potentially prevent more than 1 million Alzheimer’s cases globally.
The team at the Semel Institute is interested in pursuing research on the relationship between sedentary behavior and the MTL more closely. They plan to investigate how race, gender, dietary factors, and mental engagement may influence the relationship between sedentary behavior and brain health. By studying more closely how sedentary behavior can lead to MTL atrophy and dementia, scientists hope to develop a preventative treatment plan that will delay the onset of dementia for high-risk individuals. For now, implementing positive lifestyle changes, such as eating healthy and exercising regularly, earlier on in life will help many more individuals maintain brain health far into the future.
The team at the Semel Institute is interested in pursuing research on the relationship between sedentary behavior and the MTL more closely. They plan to investigate how race, gender, dietary factors, and mental engagement may influence the relationship between sedentary behavior and brain health. By studying more closely how sedentary behavior can lead to MTL atrophy and dementia, scientists hope to develop a preventative treatment plan that will delay the onset of dementia for high-risk individuals. For now, implementing positive lifestyle changes, such as eating healthy and exercising regularly, earlier on in life will help many more individuals maintain brain health far into the future.
Featured Image Source: geralt
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