Aerobics can help improve memory, brain power

Washington: A new study has found that engaging in a physical exercise regimen helps healthy aging adults improve their memory, brain health and physical fitness.

This finding by researchers at the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas is significant, considering that among adults 50 and older, "staying mentally sharp" outranks social security and physical health as the top priority and concern in the United States.

"Science has shown that aging decreases mental efficiency and memory decline is the number one cognitive complaint of older adults," Sandra Bond Chapman, Ph.D., founder and chief director of the Center for BrainHealth, Dee Wyly Distinguished University Chair and lead author of the paper, said.

"This research shows the tremendous benefit of aerobic exercise on a person's memory and demonstrates that aerobic exercise can reduce both the biological and cognitive consequences of aging," she said.

For the study, sedentary adults ages 57-75 were randomized into a physical training or a wait-list control group.

The physical training group participated in supervised aerobic exercise on a stationary bike or treadmill for one hour, three times a week for 12 weeks.

Participants' cognition, resting cerebral blood flow, and cardiovascular fitness were assessed at three time points: before beginning the physical exercise regimen, mid-way through at 6 weeks, and post-training at 12 weeks.

Exercisers who improved their memory performance also showed greater increase in brain blood flow to the hippocampus, the key brain region affected by Alzheimer's disease.

Chapman pointed out that, using noninvasive brain imaging techniques, brain changes were identified earlier than memory improvements, implicating brain blood flow as a promising and sensitive metric of brain health gains across treatment regimens.

The study is published online in the open-access journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.