Posted on 01/16/2017 4:03:51 PM PST by Tilted Irish Kilt
Older adults who experience good cardiac fitness may be also keeping their brains in good shape as well.
In what is believed to be the first study of its kind, older adults who scored high on cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) tests
performed better on memory tasks than those who had low CRF.
Further, the more fit older adults were, the more active their brain was during learning.
These findings appear in the journal Cortex.
Difficulty remembering new information represents one of the most common complaints in aging
and decreased memory performance is one of the hallmark impairments in Alzheimer's disease.
Healthy young (18-31 years) and older adults (55-74 years) with a wide range of fitness levels walked and jogged on a treadmill
while researchers assessed their cardiorespiratory fitness by measuring the ratio of inhaled and exhaled oxygen and carbon dioxide.
These participants also underwent MRI scans which collected images of their brain while they learned and remembered names that were associated with pictures of unfamiliar faces.
The researchers found that older adults, when compared to younger adults, had more difficulty learning and remembering the correct name that was associated with each face.
Age differences in brain activation were observed during the learning of the face-name pairs, with older adults showing decreased brain activation in some regions and increased brain activation in others.
However, the degree to which older adults demonstrated these age-related changes in memory performance and brain activity largely depended on their fitness level.
In particular, high fit older adults showed better memory performance and increased brain activity patterns compared to their low fit peers.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
According to the researchers this study highlights that CRF is not only important for physical health, but is also associated with brain function and memory performance.
"Importantly, CRF is a modifiable health factor that can be improved through regular engagement in moderate to vigorous sustained physical activity such as walking, jogging, swimming, or dancing.
Therefore, starting an exercise program, regardless of one's age, can not only contribute to the more obvious physical health factors, but may also contribute to memory performance and brain function,"
explained corresponding author Scott Hayes, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine and the Associate Director of the Neuroimaging Research for Veterans Center at the VA Boston Healthcare System.
The researchers caution that maintaining high levels of fitness through physical activity will not entirely eliminate or cure age- or Alzheimer's disease related decline, but it may slow down the decline.
Future studies following individuals' fitness and physical activity levels, memory, and brain function over the course of years would more directly address this issue.
No mystery here. The brain is highly dependent on oxygen and circulation.
My relatives just got a treadmill. She’s 75 and getting moderate Alzheimer’s. Maybe getting on the treadmill slowly walking for short periods and then for longer ones, may help her. I hope so.
Oh my, what a revelation. Who would have thought that taxing the cardio-pulmonary system to support an obese body would not affect the brain?
True that !
I think it was the ancient Greeks who advocated physical and intellectual gymnastics and cardio workout as part of school studies, including philosophy.
Everyone seems to down play good walking a mile or more a day.
Running with old feet, knees and hips are making a fortune for those who sell the knee and hip replacements.
A good short walk of a couple of 100 yards several times a day after sitting helps also.
“Everyone seems to down play good walking a mile or more a day.”
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Everyone seems to downplay genes.
.
Whenever I get the urge to exercise I just sit on the couch with a beer until the urges pass.
Everyone seems to downplay genes.
Our family doctor about 5 years ago because of Obozo care, and we had to find another FP.
He is a good guy, but we had several discussions re genetic history.
Now, that I’m 78, he is starting realize how important that reality is.
He was a many sport collegiate jock. After a few personal issues with over use at his age of 65, he is now recommending walking versus running for those of us older than 40-50!
.
Never mind the learning...I increased my bone density average of 7% in 2 1/4 years....now at 75 and 365lb leg press.
The endothelial (inner linings) of blood vessels are responsible for the nitrous oxide production for lowering inflammation which can inhibit good cardiovascular health. Exercise promotes the production of NO and is the best vasodilator of them all. Men with erectile issues can be a signal that the CV system is being compromised in some way like high BP, hi cholesterol levels or some other related factor like diabetes, medications and such. Diet is a big factor too.
makes sense
My aunt died of ALZ years ago. I have another relative who had it for years and the remedy given to her was “to play video games”. Yeah, you’d think it was stupid but it has played a large part in her recovery.
The problem is that I’ve never had a good memory for matching faces and names, so how can they say that I’ve gotten worse?
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