Healthy living
Mind matters
Exercise to sharpen your wits
Staying active as we get older can help keep the brain in tip-top condition say scientists writing in the Journal of Applied Physiology
This latest study supports previous research that has found that exercise can protect the brain against the signs of ageing and may even help ward off dementia.
The team from Taiwan found that exercise can reverse age-related cell damage in part of the brain called the hippocampus in mice - an area associated with memory and learning. The team discovered that exercise increases the levels of an important brain chemical (neurotrophic factor and its receptor TrkB), responsible for the production and development of new brain cells (neurogenesis).
The researchers trained mice of different ages to run on a treadmill for up to an hour a day and looked at the effects on the brain. The team found that in active middle-aged mice the production of new brain cells improved by nearly 200 per cent compared to mice that did not exercise.
A number of studies have found that exercise can help improve brain function in older adults. Research from Australia, published earlier this year in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that an extra 20 minutes of exercise a day over a six month period resulted in a lasting improvement in cognitive function.
‘Regular exercise is a great way to reduce your risk of developing dementia and can help slow progression of the condition,’ said Neil Hunt, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer’s Society.
Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, also welcomed the study but added that much more research is still needed. ‘This adds to previous research showing that exercise helps reduce the risk of dementia and slows down its onset,’ said Wood, ‘A balanced diet and regular exercise can improve the quality of life of older people with dementia, as well as those who do not have the condition.’
In a separate study, presented at a Society for Neuroscience meeting, researchers have uncovered the secret of why some people remain razor-sharp into their 80s and beyond. Scientists from Chicago in the US, found that mentally sharp octogenarians tend to have fewer ‘tau’ protein tangles in their brains. Tau proteins accumulate in the brain cells and eventually destroy them and high levels have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Low levels of the protein appear to promote memory function.
‘This new finding in super aged brains is very exciting,’ said lead researcher Changiz Geula. ‘It was always assumed that the accumulation of these tangles is a progressive phenomenon through the ageing process. But we are seeing that some individuals are immune to tangle formation and that the presence of these tangles seems to influence cognitive performance.’
The team are hoping that the research will eventually lead to new treatments to protect the brain from memory loss.
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Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.
