Physical Activity And Brain Plasticity

A study conducted by Harvard Medical School regarding on how could exercise help your brain and what kind of exercise will help your brain to have a better result. In this article, we learn that exercises can help your brain and can also help your memory. The researchers examined different people to try to understand what exercises could help your brain using 30 minutes section. In this study, the researchers randomly evaluate people doing exercises like cardio and compared their memory and their productivity with those that didn’t any type of exercises.

Participation in physical activity has been shown to have many health benefits for older adults; this study does not provide strong support that it protects against cognitive decline. Reports have been made that physical activity may help guard against stroke and coronary heart disease, both of which may be associated with the development of dementia. Some studies were either limited in their scope or had short follow-up times. In all they find that for older adults, physical activity alone may not protect against cognitive decline. (By Charnicia E. Huggins: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/exerciseforseniors.html)

There are the studies in human show that doing soft exercise can decrease the risk of cognitive impairment when compared to those people who not doing any kind of exercise (Gregory,Parker,&Thompson,2012), and it suggests those people who always work out usually have a good mental health implicitly (Gregory,Parker,&Thompson,2012). When you regular doing exercise, your brain function will be improved and the communication between neurons will be good working (Gregory,Parker,&Thompson,2012). Doing exercise is suitable for older adults to enhance their physical health and boots their brain function, however, it also causes the pain in some

Research has proven that physical activity improves cognitive function and can also improve brain function throughout a lifespan. Moreover, staying physically active has so many benefits as well. For example, doing exercise and fitness activities help build cells and natural pathways to help reduce changes in memory loss or dementia. Also, it has so many health benefits including long-term improvements to the cognitive function as the young adult reaching mid

Cavanaugh and Blanchard-Fields (2015) state that there is research showing how brain plasticity can be enhanced through aerobic exercise (p.51). It is important that adults be active in their lives. A 30-minute walk or some type of physical activity will benefit them as the age. The text mentions a study done by Erickson and his colleagues in 2009 where they studied the effect of aerobic exercise on the hippocampus. They found that due to aerobic exercise it produced greater volume in the hippocampus. This is significant because the hippocampus is the part of the brain that is responsible for memory, emotions, and spatial functioning. The body does not only need physical activities to produce healthier cognitive functioning but also nutrients. The text identifies three nutrient biomarker patterns that are significant on the aging brain. These nutrients are vitamin B, C,D, and E, omega-3, and trans fat. the foods that belong to these nutrients are beneficial to the brain. Older adults should make an effort to include these nutrients into their diets. positive impacts these nutrients make are better cognitive functioning and greater brain

In the book Spark, written by Dr. John J. Ratey, he discusses how exercise can positively affect how your brain works. He provides studies and personal experiences to support the claims he makes. I always knew exercise would improve your life but never could have imagined how much it can affect your brain health as well. The chapter I thought spoke the most to me was chapter two, Learning: Grow Your Brain Cells.

We often hear about the physical benefits of exercise and less about the psychological benefits promoted through physical activity. In fact, multiple researches suggest that physical activity increases academic performance and supports a positive outlook that is contributive to learning gains. Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that leave you feeling focused, more relaxed, and happier. A recent study by Fotuhi, M. confirms that exercise enhances both neurogenesis (the creation of new brain cells in regions of the brain associated with higher-order thinking and recall) and experience-dependent synaptogenesis (the formation of synaptic connections between neurons in response to learning and sensory input from the environment). Specifically, physical activity appears to stimulate the production of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which helps neurons and synapses grow. In fact, BDNF has been likened to fertilizer for the brain (Conyers, M., and D. Wilson p. 40).

Exercise may benefit the brain by increasing blood and oxygen flow due to its known cardiovascular benefits since the head and heart seem to have a connection when conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol have been linked to increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s (Alzheimer’s Association, 2016). Furthermore, treatment is available as of today that may temporarily help memory and thinking problems, but this medications do not treat the origin of

There is ample evidence to demonstrate that through the normal ageing process alterations to the brain in structure and function are directly related to cognitive changes (Glisky, 2007). With an increasing ageing population strategies for prevention of disease and age related cognitive decline are necessary to improve quality of life and reduce the associated healthcare costs (Australian Government Productivity Commission [AGPC], 2013). Physical exercise is known to be crucial in maintaining physiological health; it can also be used as a means of neuroprotection and assist in modifiable risk factors for improved brain health and subsequent cognitive function. This review will critically analyse current research into the effects of exercise

Most of the time when exercise is being performed, it is perceived that there is a need or want to become healthy, or stay healthy. When the word healthy comes to mind the first instinct is to think of the health of the body; to lose weight, tone the muscles, increase strength. Today there is a big focus on exercise for its many benefits that have been found from research in recent years. With great focus on weight, diet, and reducing the risk of disease in the future. This is proven, we need exercise to keep the body systems healthy. It helps reduces weight, blood pressure, the risk of many diseases, and helps us lead a long healthy lifestyle. What most are blind to however, is that not only does exercise help with body composition and reduction of risk, but it can also help to increase the cognitive function of the brain. Exercise is the food for the brain. ?Studies in ageing humans show that endurance exercise is protective against cognitive decline, especially executive planning and working memory. In both humans and primates, exercise increases attention and performance on cognitive tasks? (Ploughman, 2008). Exercise is a must, not only for the benefits for the body systems, but most importantly for the brain. Most individuals exercise for reduction of disease risk to in turn

The human brain is constantly changing where many new neurons are formed while others neurons die and new synapses are created while other synapses are removed (Spalding et al., 2013). Some dendrites will withdraw while other dendrites continue branching (Killgore et al., 2013). The processes driving the reshaping of the brain are neuroplasticity and neurogenesis. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s lifelong ability to rewire neural connections to compensate for diseases and injuries or in response to changes in the environment, whereas neurogenesis is the ability to create new neurons and neural connections. This dynamic process of remodeling gray matter is determined mainly by a person’s genetics and can slow down due to age (Denes, 2016). However, recent scientific evidence demonstrates other non-genetic factors that can significantly improve the development of the brain and slow down neurodegeneration (Kays et al., 2012). Physical exercise has always been linked to a person’s physical health, but many recent scientific studies shows physical exercise can also keep a person’s brain sharp. Exercise affects the brain in numerous ways by creating a flourishing environment for brain growth, aiding the release of numerous hormones, and fighting against depression, stress, and anxiety.

An increasing body of evidence verifies the influence of exercise on energy and function of the central nervous system (CNS) and how it can even help against neurological disorders. According to these studies and reports, exercise has the astonishing ability to boost mental health, and modern efforts are being dedicated to use this capability to reduce cognitive degeneration in aging and psychiatric illnesses. In this paper, recent studies are examined in humans and animals demonstrating the ability of exercise to uphold cognitive health across a lifespan. Accompanied with the goal to develop a complete explanation of how the effects of exercise in the brain correlates to the results provided from human studies. Improvements in neuroimaging have been vital in recording the relationship between the intellectual benefit and action of particular neural networks in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex involving individuals who practice exercise. Current innovations in the imaging of

During the normal aging process cerebral blood flow decreases almost 50%, this decrease reflects an overall decrease in global perfusion, which leads to cerebral atrophy. Cognitive impairment most commonly occurs in patients with cardiovascular disease; individuals with a sedentary lifestyle show a decrease in neuronal plasticity and learning. Subsequently aerobic exercise actually reduces the amount of brain tissue loss, increases memory function and increases gray matter volume in prefrontal areas. In another study men who participated in endurance exercise had increased cerebral blood flow of the middle cerebral artery, which results in lower cerebrovascular risk factors in physically active elderly individuals, providing a protective mechanism against cerebral atrophy (Wiggens, Simovance).

Having a “Brain Healthy Lifestyle” (Bend, 2014) is made up of several different categories that include “physical health, brain fitness, and vitality” (Bend, 2014) as well as “balanced nutrition, stress management, and mental stimulation” (Sharpbrains, 2014). Our physical health plays a major part in brain function. Exercising our bodies, eating well, and getting the proper amount of sleep has a huge impact on our physical health. “Our brain requires 25% of the blood that is pumped by your heart. The healthier your heart is, the healthier your brain will be” (Bend, 2014). Cognitive fitness is demonstrated by uses of vocabulary, thinking, perception, and attention. It is crucial to make it a normal everyday practice to challenge our brains through new activities. Taking part in a cooking class or learning to

The articles by Erikson et al., Gatz, Korol et al., and Draganski et al. explore the concept of increased physical activity and/or mental activity having effects on the cognitive function and development or deterioration of the brain as we age. Although I agree that physical exercise is critical in increasing cognitive function because of the health benefits it provides, as well as the increased blood flow and circulation throughout the body, I ultimately believe that a healthy brain is not achieved solely by physical exercise or mental exercise, but both. I think there is a link between physical and mental exercise, and that the combination of these two activities creates higher cognitive functioning of the mind as well as the body. The mind and body come together and meet to make an overall healthy individual.