MR imaging has shown that both mental and physical exercise benefit the brain, but in different ways, according to a new study from the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas. The results were published in the journal, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.

“My hope is that those in the health care industry put the brain at front and center focus, supporting the adoption of healthy lifestyle habits both in early and late life,” Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman, the study’s lead author and founder and chief director of the Center for BrainHealth, told HCB News.

Older adults without dementia often experience slow but ongoing changes in the brain, especially in terms of memory and executive function, such as planning and problem solving. People lose between 1 to 2 percent in global brain flow every decade, starting in their 20s, according to Chapman.
For the study, 36 sedentary adults between the ages 56 and 75 years were placed into a cognitive or physical training group and underwent three hours of training per week for 12 weeks. Neurocognitive, physiological and MR data was obtained before, during, and after training.

The cognitive group underwent strategy-based training that homed in on prioritizing brain resources, synthesizing information at a deeper level and encouraging fluid thinking, diverse perspective-taking and problem solving.

The physical group had three, 60-minute training sessions per week. It included five minutes of warmup and cool down and 50 minutes of their walking on a treadmill or cycling on a stationary bike while maintaining 50 to 75 percent of maximum heart rate.

The researchers found that the cognitive training group experienced positive changes in executive brain function and a 7.9 percent increase in global brain flow compared to the physical group. However, the physical group had increases in immediate and delayed memory performance that were not seen in the other group.

“Exercise increases blood flow to gray matter, keeping brain cells, or neurons, healthy,” said Chapman. “While any exercise is better than no exercise at all, for significant brain benefit, exercise must be vigorous — increasing your heart rate and your breathing — and sustained; more than half an hour at a time is best.”

That group also demonstrated a greater increase in blood flow to the hippocampus, which is the main brain region affected by Alzheimer’s disease. However, the physical exercise must be a regular practice because the brain benefits are not lasting.

This study highlights the potential that exists to improve brain health in healthy adults by adopting lifestyle habits that exercise the brain and body. Additional research is needed to further develop and test the neuroprotective programs that bring together physical and cognitive training protocols.

“There is not a quick fix to enhanced brain health and performance — it takes concerted effort, a brain-healthy lifestyle and the elimination of toxic mental habits, such as lack of sleep and multitasking, to improve brain health,” said Chapman.

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