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>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. >> >> >> >> > > >