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We all know that exercise is good for us, and if done right can build muscles, physical strength and cardiovascular fitness. Now new evidence is emerging that physical exercise is good for our brains as well.
Publishing in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, a group of physicians and epidemiologists at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases detail a large study measuring and comparing the cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and brain volume of 2103 German women and men between the ages of 21 and 84. The researchers found that fitter participants had significantly greater brain volume than their less-fit peers.
Interestingly, highly detailed magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of the participant's brains showed that the parts of the brain that benefitted most from increased fitness were not areas associated with movement or coordination, but instead areas involved in thinking and--seniors take note--memory. The effects on the hippocampus, crucial for memory, were especially strong in older participants.
"This is another piece of the puzzle showing physical activity and physical fitness is protective against aging-related cognitive decline," says Michael Joyner, a Mayo Clinic anesthesiologist. He and two Mayo Clinic colleagues wrote an editorial to accompany the research report. They note that while previous research has linked exercise, physical fitness, blood flow to the brain, and cognitive functioning, this is the first research to show beneficial changes to the grey matter of the brain.
". . . these data are encouraging," says Clifford Jack Jr., a neuroradiologist at Mayo Clinic. "The findings regarding cardiorespiratory fitness and certain brain structures are unique."
You can read an earlier zerospinzone post about research linking exercise and brain connectivity here.
The new study's authors point out that while their cross-sectional research clearly showed that CRF and brain volume and structure are correlated, it can't prove cause and effect-- ". . . reverse causation (i.e., individuals with greater brain volumes have higher CRF) cannot be excluded," they write.
Even with that caveat, the researchers and the Mayo Clinic commentators conclude that these findings justify large-scale studies that follow participants over time to see if exercise and improved physical fitness actually help preserve grey matter in aging brains, or possibly even stimulate growth in regions of the brain such as the frontal lobes or hippocampus.
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You can access the full research paper and editorial commentary at this link.
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REA
Publishing in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, a group of physicians and epidemiologists at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases detail a large study measuring and comparing the cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and brain volume of 2103 German women and men between the ages of 21 and 84. The researchers found that fitter participants had significantly greater brain volume than their less-fit peers.
Physical fitness may also boosts brain fitness
Photo credit: Michael (Mike) L. Baird
Photo credit: Michael (Mike) L. Baird
Interestingly, highly detailed magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of the participant's brains showed that the parts of the brain that benefitted most from increased fitness were not areas associated with movement or coordination, but instead areas involved in thinking and--seniors take note--memory. The effects on the hippocampus, crucial for memory, were especially strong in older participants.
"This is another piece of the puzzle showing physical activity and physical fitness is protective against aging-related cognitive decline," says Michael Joyner, a Mayo Clinic anesthesiologist. He and two Mayo Clinic colleagues wrote an editorial to accompany the research report. They note that while previous research has linked exercise, physical fitness, blood flow to the brain, and cognitive functioning, this is the first research to show beneficial changes to the grey matter of the brain.
". . . these data are encouraging," says Clifford Jack Jr., a neuroradiologist at Mayo Clinic. "The findings regarding cardiorespiratory fitness and certain brain structures are unique."
You can read an earlier zerospinzone post about research linking exercise and brain connectivity here.
The new study's authors point out that while their cross-sectional research clearly showed that CRF and brain volume and structure are correlated, it can't prove cause and effect-- ". . . reverse causation (i.e., individuals with greater brain volumes have higher CRF) cannot be excluded," they write.
Even with that caveat, the researchers and the Mayo Clinic commentators conclude that these findings justify large-scale studies that follow participants over time to see if exercise and improved physical fitness actually help preserve grey matter in aging brains, or possibly even stimulate growth in regions of the brain such as the frontal lobes or hippocampus.
-----
You can access the full research paper and editorial commentary at this link.
-----
REA
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