Researchers found that even very light workouts can increase the connectivity between parts of the brain responsible for memory formation and storage. And it doesn’t have to be working with weights or running on a treadmill, even yoga or tai chi can do the trick, according to a 2018 study by researchers at the University of California, Irvine and Japan’s University of Tsukuba.
In their study of 36 healthy adults, the researchers discovered that a single 10-minute period of mild exertion can yield considerable cognitive benefits. Using high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging, the team examined subjects’ brains shortly after exercise sessions and saw better connectivity between the hippocampal dentate gyrus and cortical areas linked to detailed memory processing.
“The hippocampus is critical for the creation of new memories; it’s one of the first regions of the brain to deteriorate as we get older—and much more severely in Alzheimer’s disease,” said project co-author Michael Yassa, UCI professor and Chancellor’s Fellow of neurobiology and behavior. “Improving the function of the hippocampus holds much promise for improving memory in everyday settings.”
The neuroscientists found that the level of heightened connectivity predicted the degree of recall enhancement.
Yassa noted that while prior research has centered on the way exercise promotes the generation of new brain cells in memory regions, this new study demonstrates a more immediate impact: strengthened communication between memory-focused parts of the brain. “We don’t discount the possibility that new cells are being born, but that’s a process that takes a bit longer to unfold,” he said. “What we observed is that these 10-minute periods of exercise showed results immediately afterward.”
He added, “Clearly, there is tremendous value to understanding the exercise prescription that best works in the elderly so that we can make recommendations for staving off cognitive decline.”
Reference:
Suwabe K, et al. “Rapid stimulation of human dentate gyrus function with acute mild exercise.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2018; 201805668
