“Exercise, Experience, and the Aging Brain” Do physical and mental activity influence the aging process?

Cognition and Aging While there appears to be decline in a variety of perceptual and cognitive processes, during the course of aging, there are interventions that can minimize aspects of this decline.

In animal studies,…. Older animals learned novel tasks, but attempted to use alternative learning strategies. “These observations hold promise that behavioral ‘therapy’ may be a useful strategy in mitigating age-related neuronal deterioration throughout the brain” (Churchill et al., 2002, p. 946).

Can Adults Add New Neurons? This form of brain plasticity evokes controversy. In rodents, who exercised on a running wheel, there was a proliferation of new neurons. Serotonin, a known neurotransmitter, has known to be increased in response to exercise.

Angiogenesis In rats, “ the most striking effect of exercise on plasticity of the brain’s vascular system is that of angiogenesis, the growth of new capillaries from pre-existing vessels” (p. 949). There are implications for research in humans because of the development of human neuroimaging.

Conclusions Exercise “improves performance of animals on hippocampus-dependent tasks” (p. 950). Older animals can learn new tasks as proficiently as younger animals, but use areas of their brains significantly different than the younger animals.

Of Interest… “ A direction in which the animal and human work may come together involves MRI measures of brain blood flow ‘under load’. While this is likely not the only mechanism whereby physical exercise and mental activity affect brain functioning in aging, it is likely to be an important one” (p. 951).