A Collection of Research on Physical Activity,
ExerGames and Your 55+ Brain
New research shows that in addition to causing the release of chemicals called endorphins — well-documented as the source of the "runner's high" — exercise may contribute to the formation of new connections among nerve cells in the brain and even to the growth of new cells. Other research has underscored the strong correlation between exercise and higher mental function.
At Princeton University, research showed the number of new brain cells produced per day more than doubled (to 7,000) in adult monkeys who regularly participated in exercises that used motor and decision-making skills. The results indicate the possibility that the structure of the adult mammalian brain can be profoundly altered by a stimulating environment.
A study by researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois found that previously sedentary people over age 60 who walk rapidly for 45 minutes three days a week can significantly improve mental-processing abilities that otherwise decline with age. Neurons flashing signals through the brain undergo a dramatic change as the mind learns behavioral habits, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found.
The surprise is that the rate at which new cells are being born in the brain are regulated by, among other things, your interaction with your environment," neurobiologist Fred H. Gage says. And exercise seems to be a key to that interaction.
"One of the things that happens with exercise is an increase in the micro blood vessels in the brain," he says. Those blood vessels are associated with the birth of new cells. "So there is a physiological link between exercise and neurogenesis," he says.
When you exercise, muscles begin to use oxygen at a higher rate, and the heart pumps more oxygenated blood through the carotid artery to the brain. In fact, the brain uses about 25 percent of the oxygen that you take in. Because exercise creates endorphins, people who exercise regularly have more energy, feel alert and have an increased sense of well-being and better memory retention. For more see this article in DISCOVERY HEALTH by T.A. Sloane
Check out "Brains, Balance and FootGaming"
