Study: aerobic exercise improves memory by boosting blood flow to the brain
Aerobic exercise boosts blood flow into two key regions of the brain associated with memory, which can result in improved cognition even in older populations.
A study by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern) documented changes in long-term memory and cerebral blood flow in 30 participants, each of them 60 or older with memory problems.
Half of the group underwent 12 months of aerobic exercise training; the rest did only stretching.
The exercise group showed a 47 per cent improvement in some memory scores after one year compared with minimal change in the stretch participants.
Brain imaging of the exercise group, taken at the beginning and end of the study, showed increased blood flow into the anterior cingulate cortex and the hippocampus – neural regions that play important roles in memory function.
The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and was led by Binu Thomas, a UT Southwestern senior research scientist in neuroimaging.
“We’ve shown that even when your memory starts to fade, you can still do something about it by adding aerobic exercise to your lifestyle,” Thomas said.
He added that improving blood flow – especially through exercise – may someday be used in combination with other strategies to preserve brain function in people with mild cognitive impairment.
“Cerebral blood flow is a part of the puzzle, and we need to continue piecing it together,” Thomas said.
“But we’ve seen enough data to know that starting a fitness programme can have lifelong benefits for our brains as well as our hearts.”
• To access the full study and further information, click here for the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Duty Manager
Duty Manager Golf and Athletics
Leisure Centre Duty Manager
Leisure Supervisor (Development)
Recreation Assistant (Dry Site)
Party Leader
Cleaning Assistant
Duty Manager
Duty Manager
Centre Manager (Leisure)
Director of Operations
Fitness Motivator
Recreation Assistant/Lifeguard (NPLQ required)
Recreation Assistant
Swim Teacher
Swim Teacher
Chief Executive Officer, Mount Batten Centre
Swimming Teacher
Swimming Teacher
Company profile
Featured Supplier
Property & Tenders
Company: Knight Frank
Company: Belvoir Castle
Company: AVISON YOUNG
Company: London Borough of Bexley
Company: Forestry England