Contents
With age, brain function begins to fade, which affects memory and speed of thinking. But for those who keep fit, these processes slow down.
Studies show that the health of the cardiorespiratory system (respiratory and cardiovascular at the same time) in people of age is associated with the functioning of the executive functions of the brain. They call the ability of the brain to purposeful, volitional activity, which is important for sound reasoning and solving various problems. Good cardiorespiratory health also contributes to an increase in the volume of important areas of the brain.
To find out exactly how good physical shape affects brain function, a group of scientists led by Art Kramer, director of the Beckman Institute of Modern Science and Technology and professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Illinois (USA), examined 128 people aged 59 to 80 years.
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The subjects’ brains were studied using functional magnetic resonance imaging. It turned out that certain areas are more activated when a person works on two tasks at the same time.
“Working on two tasks at the same time was of interest to us because it allows us to evaluate the work of the executive functions of the brain, which play an important role in various cognitive processes. It is known that in the process of aging executive functions weaken. We found that the health of the cardiorespiratory system has a positive effect on the preservation of executive functions in old age, which is manifested in both the behavior and the level of activity of the corresponding areas of the brain, ”says Chelsea Wong, one of the authors of the study, a graduate student at the University of Illinois Chelsea Wong.
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The researchers found that the relationship between the cardiorespiratory system and executive function is partly due to the activity of brain regions called the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the supplementary motor area (SMA).
“We tracked which areas of the brain were activated when subjects performed two tasks at the same time, and found an association between cardiorespiratory health and AUC and DME activity. These areas play an important role in the functioning of higher brain functions, in particular, the ability to perform several tasks at the same time,” explains Chelsea Wong.
These results show that physical activity, which directly affects the state of the cardiorespiratory system, can contribute to the preservation of mental abilities at any age.
Подробнее см. С. Wong et al. «Brain activation during dual-task processing is associated with cardiorespiratory fitness and performance in older adults», Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, August 2015.