We all know that exercise is good for our bodies, but current research is revealing that it is also good for our brains. Exercise has been shown to boost executive functions such as planning, working memory and multi-tasking.
In a study published in the journal Lancet Neurology, researchers at the University of Cambridge report that people who take part in intense exercise for an hour or more every week are far less likely to develop dementia. Their risk is reduced to nearly half that of others.
So how does exercise affect our brains? Physical activity is known to increase levels of genes such as BDNF and IGF-1 in the brain. These genes are associated with neuronal survival and plasticity. In animal studies, the growth of the branches that connect neurons has been shown to increase with physical exercise. Those who ran longer had more wiring in their brains.
Exercise also promotes increased neurogenesis ā the creation of new brain cells in adulthood ā in a part of the brain called the hippocampus, prefrontal and cingulate cortices, which are all areas associated with memory. Exercise, it seems, not only sculpts our bodies, but it also physically shapes our brains as well.
[For more of this story, written by James Cooke, go to http://medicalxpress.com/news/...mory-boost-baby.html]
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