Aerobic exercises have been found to benefit even the young adults, finds a new study. The actual benefits can later slow down the appearance of at least some age-related memory changes. The results of this study are published in the journal of Neurology.
Aerobic exercise training improves cognition, even for young and middle-aged adults, according to a new study led by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Want To Keep Your Brain On Its Toes: Physical Exercise Is The Best
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‘Aerobic exercise training increases cognitive processes important for reasoning, planning, and problem-solving--in adults as young as 20, although the effect was stronger with increasing age.
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The study of 132 adults between the ages of 20 and 67 found that aerobic exercise training increases executive function--cognitive processes important for reasoning, planning, and problem-solving--in adults as young as 20, although the effect was stronger with increasing age.
Why it matters
The study indicates that aerobic exercise training improves cognition in younger adults, suggesting that exercise can prevent or slow the appearance of at least some age-related cognitive changes.
![Daily Physical Exercise Can Promote Elimination of Toxic Proteins from Muscles]( "Daily Physical Exercise Can Promote Elimination of Toxic Proteins from Muscles")
New study finds a link between daily physical exercise and prevention of muscle dysfunction.
The flexibility of the exercise protocol, in which participants choose when and how to exercise, could make the intervention more attractive to the general population and increase its chances for adoption.
Previous studies focused on elderly
Most previous studies of exercise and cognition have focused on the elderly, and those that include young adults were small and did not include a randomly assigned control group.
In the new study, Yaakov Stern, PhD, chief of cognitive neuroscience in the Department of Neurology and a faculty member in the Taub Institute, and Richard Sloan, PhD, chief of behavioral medicine, assigned 132 individuals with below median aerobic capacity to an aerobic exercise training program or to a control program of stretching and core-strengthening exercises.
All participants worked out at a local YMCA four times a week, and those in the exercise group could choose any form of aerobic exercise as long as they reached target heart rates. Data from heart rate monitors worn by the participants were downloaded to an on-site computer.
Participants were tested for executive function, processing speed, language, attention, and episodic memory prior to being assigned to groups and at 12 and 24 weeks.
Exercise improves the brain's executive function
After 24 weeks, there was a significant improvement in executive function in the aerobic exercise group for participants of all ages, and the greater the participant's age, the greater the improvement in executive function.
"Executive function usually peaks around age 30," Stern says, "and I think that aerobic exercise is good at rescuing lost function, as opposed to increasing performance in those without a decline."
Executive function underlies many day-to-day activities. For example.e bill paying requires planning, organizing, and shifting from one related task to another. These activities rely on intact executive function.
Aerobic exercise did not improve cognitive function in processing speed, language, attention, or episodic memory for participants of any age. Some studies have found that aerobic exercise improves these features in adults above 55, and Stern says that a larger study may be able to detect an improvement in younger adults. It's also possible that exercise has different effects in young vs. older adults.
Aerobic exercise increases gray matter in brain
Brain imaging at baseline and 24 weeks revealed that aerobic exercise training is associated with significantly increased cortical thickness in the left caudal middle frontal cortex. The increase in gray matter was not associated with the participant's age. And increases in the gray matter did not correlate directly with a corresponding change in any cognitive domain.
Still, several aerobic exercise studies in older adults have noted comparable changes in the frontal lobe, suggesting that aerobic exercise has a beneficial effect on a brain area that is associated with executive function.
Source: Eurekalert
The study indicates that aerobic exercise training improves cognition in younger adults, suggesting that exercise can prevent or slow the appearance of at least some age-related cognitive changes.
Daily Physical Exercise Can Promote Elimination of Toxic Proteins from Muscles
New study finds a link between daily physical exercise and prevention of muscle dysfunction.
Advertisement
The flexibility of the exercise protocol, in which participants choose when and how to exercise, could make the intervention more attractive to the general population and increase its chances for adoption.
Previous studies focused on elderly
Most previous studies of exercise and cognition have focused on the elderly, and those that include young adults were small and did not include a randomly assigned control group.
In the new study, Yaakov Stern, PhD, chief of cognitive neuroscience in the Department of Neurology and a faculty member in the Taub Institute, and Richard Sloan, PhD, chief of behavioral medicine, assigned 132 individuals with below median aerobic capacity to an aerobic exercise training program or to a control program of stretching and core-strengthening exercises.
All participants worked out at a local YMCA four times a week, and those in the exercise group could choose any form of aerobic exercise as long as they reached target heart rates. Data from heart rate monitors worn by the participants were downloaded to an on-site computer.
Participants were tested for executive function, processing speed, language, attention, and episodic memory prior to being assigned to groups and at 12 and 24 weeks.
Exercise improves the brain's executive function
After 24 weeks, there was a significant improvement in executive function in the aerobic exercise group for participants of all ages, and the greater the participant's age, the greater the improvement in executive function.
"Executive function usually peaks around age 30," Stern says, "and I think that aerobic exercise is good at rescuing lost function, as opposed to increasing performance in those without a decline."
Executive function underlies many day-to-day activities. For example.e bill paying requires planning, organizing, and shifting from one related task to another. These activities rely on intact executive function.
Aerobic exercise did not improve cognitive function in processing speed, language, attention, or episodic memory for participants of any age. Some studies have found that aerobic exercise improves these features in adults above 55, and Stern says that a larger study may be able to detect an improvement in younger adults. It's also possible that exercise has different effects in young vs. older adults.
Aerobic exercise increases gray matter in brain
Brain imaging at baseline and 24 weeks revealed that aerobic exercise training is associated with significantly increased cortical thickness in the left caudal middle frontal cortex. The increase in gray matter was not associated with the participant's age. And increases in the gray matter did not correlate directly with a corresponding change in any cognitive domain.
Still, several aerobic exercise studies in older adults have noted comparable changes in the frontal lobe, suggesting that aerobic exercise has a beneficial effect on a brain area that is associated with executive function.
Source: Eurekalert
Can Physical Exercises Delay Memory Problems in Alzheimer's Patients?
Aerobic exercise training may delay the decline in memory function that occurs in individuals who are at risk of developing or have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
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Physical Exercise Protects Our Heart HealthThe health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. Everyone benefits from exercise, regardless of age, sex or physical ability. | Advertisement
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