This is discouraging, as I rapidly approach 70:
Physical exercise in old age can improve brain
perfusion as well as certain memory skills. This is the finding of Magdeburg
neuroscientists who studied men and women aged between 60 and 77. In younger
individuals regular training on a treadmill tended to improve cerebral blood
flow and visual memory. However, trial participants who were older than 70
years of age tended to show no benefit of exercise. Thus, the study also
indicates that the benefits of exercise may be limited by advancing age.
The 40
test volunteers were healthy for their age, sedentary when the study commenced
and divided into two groups. About half of the study participants exercised
regularly on a treadmill for 3 months. The other individuals merely performed
muscle relaxation sessions. In 7 out of 9 members of the exercise group who
were not more than 70 years old, the training improved physical fitness and
also tended to increase perfusion in the hippocampus – an area of the brain
which is important for memory function. The increased perfusion was accompanied
by improved visual memory: at the end of the study, these individuals found it
easier to memorize abstract images than at the beginning of the training
program. These effects were largely absent in older volunteers who participated
in the workout as well as in the members of the control group.
The
study included extensive tests of the volunteers’ physical condition and
memory. Furthermore, the study participants were examined by magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI). This technique enables detailed insights into the interior of
the brain.
Exercising
against dementia
Physical
exercise is known to have considerable health benefits: the effects on the body
have been researched extensively, the effects on brain function less so. An
increase in brain perfusion through physical exercise had previously only been
demonstrated empirically in younger people. The new study shows that some
ageing brains also retain this ability to adapt, even though it seems to
decrease with advancing age. Furthermore, the results indicate that changes in
memory performance resulting from physical exercise are closely linked to
changes in brain perfusion.
“Ultimately,
we aim to develop measures to purposefully counteract dementia such as
Alzheimer's disease. This is why we want to understand the effects of physical
exercise on the brain and the related neurobiological mechanisms. This is
essential for developing treatments that are truly effective,” is how Professor Emrah
Düzel, site speaker of the DZNE in Magdeburg and
director of the Institute of
Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research at the University of
Magdeburg, explains the background to the study.
The
goal: new brain cells
The
researchers’ goal is to cause new nerve cells to grow in the brain. This is how
they intend to counter the loss of neurons typical of dementia. “The human
brain is able to change and evolve throughout our lives. New nerve cells can
form even in adult brains,” says Düzel. “Our aim is to stimulate this so-called
neurogenesis. We don't yet know whether our training methods promote the
development of new brain cells. However, fundamental research shows that the
formation of new brain cells often goes hand in hand with improved brain
perfusion.”
Changes
in the hippocampus
Indeed,
it did turn out that the treadmill exercise sessions caused more blood to reach
the hippocampus in younger participants. “This improves the supply of oxygen
and nutrients and may also have other positive effects on the brain’s
metabolism,” says the neuroscientist. “However, we have also seen that the
effect of the training decreases with age. It is less effective in people aged
over 70 than in people in their early 60s. It will be an important goal of our
research to understand the causes for this and to find remedies.”
Düzel
adds: “It is encouraging to see that visual memory improved as brain perfusion
increased. However, effective treatments would also have to affect other brain
functions. In our study, the effect was limited to visual short-term memory.”
A
combined training for body and mind
Other
experiments are now under way in Magdeburg in which test participants are sent
on an unusual kind of scavenger hunt: they are assigned the task of finding
objects concealed in a computer-generated landscape which is pictured on a
large screen. Movement control in this virtual world is done with the help of a
treadmill. “This complex situation makes high demands on motor skills and sense
of orientation,” explains Düzel. “It challenges both the brain as well as the
muscles.”
In the
long term, the scientists aim to include people in the early stages of
Alzheimer's disease in their study program. “We are looking for ways of
delaying or even stopping the progression of the disease. And we are also
researching methods of prevention,” emphasizes Düzel. “Connecting physical
activity and mental exercise may have a broad impact, and combined training
might become a therapeutic approach. However, this has yet to be shown. In
fact, our current results suggest that we may need pharmacological treatments
to make exercise more effective.”
Original
publication
Vascular hippocampal plasticity after aerobic exercise in older adults
Anne Maass, Sandra Düzel,
Monique Goerke, Andreas Becke, Uwe Sobieray, Katja Neumann, Martin Lövden,
Ulman Lindenberger, Lars Bäckman, Rüdiger Braun-Dullaeus, Dörte Ahrens,
Hans-Jochen Heinze, Notger G. Müller, Emrah Düzel.
Molecular Psychiatry, 2014,
doi:10.1038/mp.2014.114
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