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Work those abs and work that brain 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. By DONNA KENNEDY, Riverside Press-Enterprise Copyright 1998 Nando Media Copyright 1998 Scripps-McClatchy Western janet paterson - 51 now /41 dx /37 onset - almonte/ontario/canada [log in to unmask]