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Monday, April 23, 2012
Remember This: Exercise Boosts Your Brainpower
Middle-Aged Adults Who Cycle or Stretch Improve Memory
By Kathleen Doheny
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD
April 6, 2012 -- Your brain isn't a muscle, but as you age exercise can improve your memory and other thinking skills, a new study shows.
And the exercise doesn't have to be as rigorous as a marathon, the research suggests.
In the new study, middle-aged men and women who cycled or did a stretching and coordination routine for two hours weekly for six months had improvements in memory and other thinking skills.
Combining the two may provide even better results, says researcher Kirsten Hotting, PhD, a lecturer in psychology at the University of Hamburg, Germany. "I would guess that combining different forms of exercise might enhance their beneficial effects," she tells WebMD.
The study is published in Health Psychology.
Previous research has found that this region had grown a year after older adults began to exercise. That growth was accompanied by improved memory.
For the new study, Hotting wanted to focus on middle-aged adults. She evaluated 68 inactive men and women ages 40 to 56. She assigned them to the stretching program or the cycling program.
She added a group of 18 non-active people as a comparison group.
Before the study, everyone got a heart fitness test. Each of the programs were supervised and lasted one hour, twice a week, Hotting says.
"The stretching/coordination training started with a short warm-up phase, followed by stretching and strengthening of the major muscles of the whole body," she says. "Coordination exercises were balance exercises, complex movements of arms and legs, and so on. The training ended with some relaxation exercises."
The cyclists were told to exercise at their target heart rate (as determined by the fitness test) for about 45 minutes, Hotting says. They ended with a cool-down.
Before and after the study, Hotting's team measured memory and other thinking skills.
But both the cycling and the stretching groups did better on the memory test of learning a list of items than the inactive group.
The increase in this test score was linked with an increase in fitness.
The cycling group improved more than the others in the recognition test. It tests long-term retention of learned material.
One surprise finding: The stretching group actually improved more in a test of attention than did the cycling group. In a paper and pencil test, they had to find and mark certain letters quickly.
Hotting didn't find any noticeable differences in performance for any other thinking skills.
The improvements in memory are useful, she tells WebMD. "In everyday life, learning a list of items is relevant when learning vocabulary, a shopping list, or remembering to-do lists."
The recognition test reflects an ability to remember learned items for more than a few minutes, she says. "That is relevant for many things you want to remember in everyday life."
Other studies have also found that an increase in fitness is linked with selective improvements in memory, he tells WebMD.
In his own research, Small has found that inactive people who become physically active can increase blood flow to the brain. They then score better on memory tests.
One strength of the new study, he tells WebMD, is the length of the training. Another is the focus on middle-aged men and women. He says they often worry about memory problems.
SOURCES: Hotting, K. Health Psychology, March 2012. Kirsten Hotting, PhD, lecturer in psychology, University of Hamburg, Germany. Scott Small, MD, Herbert Irving professor of neurology, Columbia University, New York. Pereira, A. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, March 27, 2007.
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=156864
By Kathleen Doheny
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD
April 6, 2012 -- Your brain isn't a muscle, but as you age exercise can improve your memory and other thinking skills, a new study shows.
And the exercise doesn't have to be as rigorous as a marathon, the research suggests.
In the new study, middle-aged men and women who cycled or did a stretching and coordination routine for two hours weekly for six months had improvements in memory and other thinking skills.
Combining the two may provide even better results, says researcher Kirsten Hotting, PhD, a lecturer in psychology at the University of Hamburg, Germany. "I would guess that combining different forms of exercise might enhance their beneficial effects," she tells WebMD.
The study is published in Health Psychology.
Exercise and Memory: Research Details
In late adulthood, experts say, a region of the brain involved in memory, the hippocampus, shrinks.Previous research has found that this region had grown a year after older adults began to exercise. That growth was accompanied by improved memory.
For the new study, Hotting wanted to focus on middle-aged adults. She evaluated 68 inactive men and women ages 40 to 56. She assigned them to the stretching program or the cycling program.
She added a group of 18 non-active people as a comparison group.
Before the study, everyone got a heart fitness test. Each of the programs were supervised and lasted one hour, twice a week, Hotting says.
"The stretching/coordination training started with a short warm-up phase, followed by stretching and strengthening of the major muscles of the whole body," she says. "Coordination exercises were balance exercises, complex movements of arms and legs, and so on. The training ended with some relaxation exercises."
The cyclists were told to exercise at their target heart rate (as determined by the fitness test) for about 45 minutes, Hotting says. They ended with a cool-down.
Before and after the study, Hotting's team measured memory and other thinking skills.
Exercise and Memory: Results
The cycling group improved their heart fitness by 15%. The stretching and inactive groups did not have noticeable changes in their fitness.But both the cycling and the stretching groups did better on the memory test of learning a list of items than the inactive group.
The increase in this test score was linked with an increase in fitness.
The cycling group improved more than the others in the recognition test. It tests long-term retention of learned material.
One surprise finding: The stretching group actually improved more in a test of attention than did the cycling group. In a paper and pencil test, they had to find and mark certain letters quickly.
Hotting didn't find any noticeable differences in performance for any other thinking skills.
The improvements in memory are useful, she tells WebMD. "In everyday life, learning a list of items is relevant when learning vocabulary, a shopping list, or remembering to-do lists."
The recognition test reflects an ability to remember learned items for more than a few minutes, she says. "That is relevant for many things you want to remember in everyday life."
Exercise and Memory: Improved Blood Flow
The study findings echo previous research, says Scott Small, MD, the Herbert Irving professor of neurology at Columbia University. He reviewed the findings but was not involved in the German study.Other studies have also found that an increase in fitness is linked with selective improvements in memory, he tells WebMD.
In his own research, Small has found that inactive people who become physically active can increase blood flow to the brain. They then score better on memory tests.
One strength of the new study, he tells WebMD, is the length of the training. Another is the focus on middle-aged men and women. He says they often worry about memory problems.
SOURCES: Hotting, K. Health Psychology, March 2012. Kirsten Hotting, PhD, lecturer in psychology, University of Hamburg, Germany. Scott Small, MD, Herbert Irving professor of neurology, Columbia University, New York. Pereira, A. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, March 27, 2007.
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=156864
Regular Exercise May Benefit the Brain as Well as the Body
WEDNESDAY, June 8 (HealthDay News) -- A commitment to high-intensity exercise
may keep more than just your body in good shape. New research reveals
that long-term aerobic activity may also boost a person's brain
function.
In the study, Benjamin Tseng, a researcher in the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine's (IEEM) Cerebrovascular Lab at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, and colleagues compared brain structure and function in 10 athletes and 10 sedentary people.
The types of brain function they looked at included muscle control, executive function (a type of cognition that includes working memory, self-monitoring and the ability to suppress distractions) as well as other neurological functions.
"We know that brain structure and some aspects of cognitive function deteriorate with aging, but we haven't been able to find exactly what the contributing factors and mechanisms are," Tseng said in a hospital news release. "Our preliminary results shed light on this important topic, and we hope the findings lead to better prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia."
The study participants included 10 Masters athletes, average age 73 years, who had at least 15 years of competitive aerobic training, and 10 sedentary people of a similar age and education level. The investigators found that the brain's white matter fiber was better preserved among the athletes than the inactive people.
In the human brain, white matter plays the critical role of transmitting messages between different regions of gray matter -- areas where functions such as seeing, hearing, speaking, memory and emotions take place. So, without sufficient white matter, gray matter can't do its job, as is the case for many people with various forms of dementia, the study authors explained in the news release.
"Without properly functioning white matter, people can begin to show signs of neurological problems," Dr. Benjamin Levine, director of the IEEM and a professor of medicine and cardiology and a distinguished professor in exercise science at UT Southwestern Medical Center, explained in the news release. "They can lose the ability to do simple daily tasks that we take for granted."
The researchers concluded that their study sheds some light on the mysteries of the aging brain, such as how brain blood flow is related to its structure and function.
"It also tells us that long-term aerobic exercise has definitive, measurable impact on brain health," said Levine. "Most importantly, it lets us know that we have tools that can help fight off dementia and some of the other classic signs of aging with a purposeful, consistent exercise regimen."
The findings were scheduled for presentation this week at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine, held in conjunction with the World Congress on Exercise Is Medicine, in Denver. Because this study was presented at a medical meeting, the data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
-- Mary Elizabeth Dallas
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=145353
In the study, Benjamin Tseng, a researcher in the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine's (IEEM) Cerebrovascular Lab at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, and colleagues compared brain structure and function in 10 athletes and 10 sedentary people.
The types of brain function they looked at included muscle control, executive function (a type of cognition that includes working memory, self-monitoring and the ability to suppress distractions) as well as other neurological functions.
"We know that brain structure and some aspects of cognitive function deteriorate with aging, but we haven't been able to find exactly what the contributing factors and mechanisms are," Tseng said in a hospital news release. "Our preliminary results shed light on this important topic, and we hope the findings lead to better prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia."
The study participants included 10 Masters athletes, average age 73 years, who had at least 15 years of competitive aerobic training, and 10 sedentary people of a similar age and education level. The investigators found that the brain's white matter fiber was better preserved among the athletes than the inactive people.
In the human brain, white matter plays the critical role of transmitting messages between different regions of gray matter -- areas where functions such as seeing, hearing, speaking, memory and emotions take place. So, without sufficient white matter, gray matter can't do its job, as is the case for many people with various forms of dementia, the study authors explained in the news release.
"Without properly functioning white matter, people can begin to show signs of neurological problems," Dr. Benjamin Levine, director of the IEEM and a professor of medicine and cardiology and a distinguished professor in exercise science at UT Southwestern Medical Center, explained in the news release. "They can lose the ability to do simple daily tasks that we take for granted."
The researchers concluded that their study sheds some light on the mysteries of the aging brain, such as how brain blood flow is related to its structure and function.
"It also tells us that long-term aerobic exercise has definitive, measurable impact on brain health," said Levine. "Most importantly, it lets us know that we have tools that can help fight off dementia and some of the other classic signs of aging with a purposeful, consistent exercise regimen."
The findings were scheduled for presentation this week at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine, held in conjunction with the World Congress on Exercise Is Medicine, in Denver. Because this study was presented at a medical meeting, the data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
-- Mary Elizabeth Dallas
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=145353
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