Rewire the Brain for More Movement
Life’s demands require creativity and adaptation that enable learning new skills and moving through tasks efficiently. Scientists have thought for a long time that the human brain could learn only in the first few years of life. They speculated that the formation of connections between the brain’s nerve cells that happen during learning become fixed in place. If connections between neurons developed only during the early years of one’s life, then learning and other cognitive processes would occur less frequently as people age. However, scientists have realized that cognitive processes happen regardless of age differences. After conducting intense research, they came to recognize that the brain continues to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life; this phenomenon is called neuroplasticity. The process of neuroplasticity allows individuals to learn new things and adjust their activities in response to changes in the environment.
Kirsten Hötting and Brigitte Röder at the University of Hamburg in Germany decided to take neuroplasticity a step further and compiled converging evidence from multiple studies that suggest that physical activity can facilitate neuroplasticity in certain brain structures. As a result, it can enhance cognitive functions, such as learning and memory retention as well as preventing cognitive decline across the lifespan.
In a study conducted by Rovio et al., 2010, people were examined in midlife and re-examined 21 years later on average. A specific type of imaging, T1-weighted imaging, was used to investigate the density of grey matter in the brain of two groups. Gray matter volume in frontal brain regions were found to be larger for individuals who had reported exercising at least twice a week at midlife compared to those who exercised less. The journal, Nature, stated that brain imaging studies suggest that human intellect is based on the volume of grey matter in certain brain regions. This idea supports the findings that physical activity has beneficial effects on neuroplasticity by increasing the volume of grey matter in the frontal region of the brain.
Richards et al., 2003 concluded that social, physical, and intellectual activities facilitate cognitive performance and slow the rate of age-associated cognitive decline. Data was collected from a cohort of 1,919 middle-aged participants. The results showed that physical exercise and spare-time activity at the age of 36 years were associated with a slower rate of memory decline over the lifespan. Moreover, participants who stopped exercising after the age of 36 years showed a higher decay in memory at the age of 53.
Kirsten Hötting and Brigitte Röder at the University of Hamburg in Germany decided to take neuroplasticity a step further and compiled converging evidence from multiple studies that suggest that physical activity can facilitate neuroplasticity in certain brain structures. As a result, it can enhance cognitive functions, such as learning and memory retention as well as preventing cognitive decline across the lifespan.
In a study conducted by Rovio et al., 2010, people were examined in midlife and re-examined 21 years later on average. A specific type of imaging, T1-weighted imaging, was used to investigate the density of grey matter in the brain of two groups. Gray matter volume in frontal brain regions were found to be larger for individuals who had reported exercising at least twice a week at midlife compared to those who exercised less. The journal, Nature, stated that brain imaging studies suggest that human intellect is based on the volume of grey matter in certain brain regions. This idea supports the findings that physical activity has beneficial effects on neuroplasticity by increasing the volume of grey matter in the frontal region of the brain.
Richards et al., 2003 concluded that social, physical, and intellectual activities facilitate cognitive performance and slow the rate of age-associated cognitive decline. Data was collected from a cohort of 1,919 middle-aged participants. The results showed that physical exercise and spare-time activity at the age of 36 years were associated with a slower rate of memory decline over the lifespan. Moreover, participants who stopped exercising after the age of 36 years showed a higher decay in memory at the age of 53.
Image Source: RICOwde
In a study done by Bullitt et al., 2009, beneficial effects of aerobic exercise on improving learning and memory were shown to be induced by changes in blood flow and vascularization. Furthermore, physically active older adults were found to display a higher number of small cerebral vessels than physically less active older adults. Erickson et al., 2012 conducted a different study in which more direct evidence was presented in describing the molecular mechanisms behind the beneficial effects of physical activity on working memory in which N-acetylaspartate (NAA) levels were measured in the frontal cortex of healthy, older adults. The authors reported a correlation between NAA levels and cardiovascular fitness as well as working memory. This provided a marker of neuronal health that correlates the beneficial impact of physical activity on neuroplasticity.
In summary, the study done by Kirsten Hötting and Brigitte Röder can provide more understanding of the benefits of sustained physical activity on overall health and, especially, neuroplasticity. This study also summarized some of the factors that play a role in increasing inactive lifestyles that is widespread in more developed and industrialized societies. Efficacy beliefs contribute in determining whether people believe in their ability of engaging in physical exercise and sustaining their performance over time. Another factor could be individual differences in the responsiveness to exercise, which might also influence the effects of physical exercise on neural and cognitive processes that might lead to a lack of sustained engagement.
In summary, the study done by Kirsten Hötting and Brigitte Röder can provide more understanding of the benefits of sustained physical activity on overall health and, especially, neuroplasticity. This study also summarized some of the factors that play a role in increasing inactive lifestyles that is widespread in more developed and industrialized societies. Efficacy beliefs contribute in determining whether people believe in their ability of engaging in physical exercise and sustaining their performance over time. Another factor could be individual differences in the responsiveness to exercise, which might also influence the effects of physical exercise on neural and cognitive processes that might lead to a lack of sustained engagement.
Featured Image Source: TheDigitalArtist
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