Does physical exercise prevent dementia?
The theory that physical exercise may play an important role in the prevention of cognitive impairment and dementia in the elderly has received much attention in recent years. This Goethe University Frankfurt study evaluated the effects of regular exercise on brain metabolism. The SMART study (Sport and Metabolism in Older Persons), a randomised controlled trial, investigated the memory, movement-related parameters, cardiopulmonary fitness and cognitive performance of 60 part
The brain can benefit from a SINGLE session of exercise.
In this excellent review of the literature published in the journal Brain Plasticity, the authors found consistent evidence that exercise improves executive function and enhanced mood, whilst decreasing levels of stress. Reviewing studies employing electroencephalography (EEG), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), exercise was also found to have widespread effects across brain
