>Physical and mental exercises keep your gray matter in the pink!
>Read on:
>
>Barb Mallut
>[log in to unmask]
>----------------------------------------------------
>
>>RIVERSIDE, Calif. (November 25, 1998 3:51 p.m. EST
>>http://www.nandotimes.com) -- You made a vow in the mirror to work
>>off that pinchable roll around the mid-section. You promised your
>>heart and lungs a brisk evening walk. Still can't get yourself out
>>the door? Here's a new motivator -- do it for your brain.
>>
>>Some researchers believe that both physical and mental activities
>>help keep our brains working efficiently as we grow older.
>>
>>Studies by psychologist Robert Dustman suggest that people who
>>exercise are more likely than their sedentary peers to stay
mentally
>>sharp as they grow older. Dustman tested men of various ages and
>>activity levels at the Neuropsychology Research Laboratory at the
>>Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salt Lake City.
>>
>>Most people have no trouble with vocabulary and common knowledge as
>>they grow older, but they may lose ground in what Dustman calls
>>mental flexibility -- blocking out distractions and focusing on a
>>task.
>>
>>Among the people Dustman tested, the biggest differences were
>between
>>old couch potatoes and old exercisers. The exercisers had lost some
>>mental flexibility, but not as much as the sedentary men. "You're
>not
>>going to keep it all. Everything wears out. I guess the brain
>should,
>>too," Dustman said.
>>
>>Just as exercise can improve brain power, so can mental
>challenges --
>>specifically, learning new things.
>>
>>"Only when we face the new and the difficult will the brain
>respond,"
>>said Arnold Scheibel, professor of neuro-biology and psychiatry at
>>UCLA.
>>
>>"The old saw 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks' is not true,"
>>said Scheibel. "It may take the old dog longer. Maybe he's out of
>the
>>habit of learning or there are physiological changes. Nevertheless,
>>the brain will respond to challenge with growth."
>>
>>You can be good to your brain in two ways at once if you choose an
>>exercise that offer mental challenges, such as tai chi, ballet or
>>square dancing.
>>
>>When you challenge your brain, it's like adding new capabilities to
>a
>>computer by installing an expansion card, Scheibel said. "The more
>>complex functions demand and produce a more complex underlying
>>circuitry."
>>
>>What this means is that neurons (brain cells) learn and remember
>>through their changing network of connections. Learn something new,
>>and connections grow stronger, which means a more efficient brain.
>>
>>A learning activity will affect only the area of the brain
dedicated
>>to those functions, Scheibel said. For instance, in experiments
with
>>monkeys trained to put pegs of certain shapes into specific holes,
>>connections grow stronger only in the portion of the brain related
>to
>>coordination and finesse.
>>
>>Wayne "Buck" Baragry recently took time out from calling figures at
>>Cow Town Square Dance Center in Riverside to chat about his
>>avocation. At 60, Baragry has been on the floor and at the
>microphone
>>for 26 years.
>>
>>"You have to devote your whole concentration to the square dance
>>figures whether you're dancing or calling," said Baragry, who lives
>>in Riverside. "It's a hear-and-react kind of thing. The caller
calls
>>the figures, the dancers hear the figure and have to react to what
>>they hear."
>>
>>An activity such as square dancing can enhance the brain in two
ways
>>at once, said William Greenough, a psychology professor at the
>>Beckman Institute Center for Neuro-biology of Learning and Memory
at
>>the University of Illinois in Urbana.
>>
>>The physical movement improves blood flow to areas of the brain
>>activated by the exercise. The mental challenge of learning new
>steps
>>strengthens connections in the sensory and cognitive areas of the
>>brain. In his research with rats, Greenough found these differences
>>in the brains of rats that exercised and those that learned to
>>complete more complex tasks.
>>
>>Oxygen's effect on neurons is key to Dustman's research linking
>>exercise with increased brain function. The brain uses 25 percent
of
>>the oxygen and nutrients in the blood circulating through your
body,
>>he said.
>>
>>With exercise, your heart sends oxygenated blood more efficiently
>>through arteries and tiny capillaries to the brain. When neurons
get
>>the nourishment they need and move electrical signals more quickly,
>>it may keep the mind sharper, said Dustman.
>>
>>The trouble is, most people 45 and older exercise less at the very
>>time they should do more, Dustman said.
>>
>>Your best bet is to remain active all your life, but Dustman
>believes
>>most people can start exercising any time and improve their brains
>as
>>well as their heart and lungs.
>>
>>He cites his study of three groups of men between the ages of 55
and
>>70 who were healthy, but not exercising. Over a span of four
months,
>>one group remained sedentary, another did strength and flexibility
>>exercises, and a third did brisk walking, gradually increasing to
an
>>hour a day.
>>
>>All were tested for cognitive function -- thinking and analyzing --
>>before and after the four-month period. The walkers increased their
>>maximum aerobic capacity by 27 percent and scored markedly higher
on
>>tests of cognitive function. Those who did strength and flexibility
>>exercises increased their aerobic capacity and cognitive function
>>slightly. There was no change in the cognitive functioning of the
>>members of the sedentary group, who were not tested for changes in
>>aerobic capacity.
>>
>>Another way to improve your brain functioning is to relieve stress,
>>and exercise is a pleasant way to do that. "Whenever you feel
better
>>you can think better," said Ellen Coleman, an exercise
physiologist,
>>author and lecturer who lives in Riverside.
>>
>>"When you're more active, you secrete hormones that could
>potentially
>>enhance brain function," said Coleman, who notes that you get all
>the
>>benefits by doing moderate exercise for 30 minutes nearly every
day.
>>
>>Even modest activities that you enjoy, such as gardening, can
>improve
>>your mood.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>