الوضع الليلي
0
Brain Boost Linked to Exercise Can Last Several Years, Scientists Find
3:54:54 2024-07-20 1346

The link between exercise and better brain health is well established, but a new study suggests that these benefits can carry on long after some forms of exercise, improving brain function in older adults for up to five years.

Researchers from the University of Queensland in Australia wanted to take a closer look at how staying active might ward off dementia, and in particular how much exercise is needed to make a difference to cognitive decline.

Their work follows previous studies showing how exercise could reverse cognitive decline in mice by activating the growth of stem cells, which could then increase the production of new neurons in a part of the brain called the hippocampus, linked to learning and memory.

Here, they found that high-intensity interval training (HIIT), maintained for half a year, seems to hit the threshold for brain improvements and retain cognitive sharpness in the following years.

"Six months of high-intensity interval training is enough to flick the switch," says University of Queensland neuroscientist Perry Bartlett.

In the study, 151 participants aged 65–85 were split up into three exercise groups for six months: low-intensity training (such as stretching), medium-intensity training (brisk treadmill walking), and high-intensity training (close to maximum effort on exercise bikes).

Using a combination of brain scans and blood samples, the researchers were able to measure changes in the brain. Only the HIIT group showed signs of a cognitive boost immediately after the exercise program – and a long time later.

"We followed up with them five years after the program and incredibly they still had improved cognition, even if they hadn't kept up with the exercises," says neuroscientist Daniel Blackmore from the University of Queensland.

There's still lots of work to do here. While the brain scans combined with biomarkers give us a good idea of cognitive ability, closer analysis is required to understand more about how the brain is benefiting and the biological mechanisms at play.

The team also wants to look at how genetic factors might influence these associations across larger groups of people. Different people react differently to exercise, so in some cases HIIT might not be much help.

However, taken with earlier studies, it's yet more evidence that exercise routines could be used to help fight against the rising rates of dementia we're seeing in the elderly – and that the protective effects could last longer than we thought.

"If we can change the trajectory of aging and keep people cognitively healthier for longer with a simple intervention like exercise, we can potentially save our community from the enormous personal, economic and social costs associated with dementia," says Bartlett.

 

Foresight   2026-03-24
Reality Of Islam

MOST VIEWS

Importance of Media

9:3:43   2018-11-05

Illuminations

smiling

1:38:41   2021-12-08

belief cause cleanliness

10:47:11   2022-11-22

be yourself

4:2:19   2022-10-10

different roles

9:42:16   2022-10-19

salih & the special camel

8:3:0   2018-06-21

overcoming challenges

5:57:34   2023-03-18



IMmORTAL Words
LATEST Microplastics Found in 84% of Serious Heart Attack Patients Tiny Flying Robot from MIT Just Learned to Move Like a Real Insect NASA Reveals the Stunning Annual Turquoise Transformation of the Black Sea Where You Live May Shape Your Dementia Risk More Than Scientists Realized New Metal Alloy Is up to 10 Times Stronger Than Structural Steel Antarctic Meltwater Is Making Glaciers Slide Faster Toward the Ocean The Bitha The Alarm of All Creatures on the Night of the Prophet Mohammad was born (Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him and His Family) Hitting Children and Its Psychological Impact Popular Childhood Drinks Linked to Higher Blood Pressure Later in Life New Wearable Patch Boosts REM Sleep Without Drugs or Surgery NASA Satellites Spot a Powerful El Niño Building Beneath the Pacific