This archive report was first published on 27 August 2019.
Published on August 27, 2019, a groundbreaking study conducted at the University of Iowa has shed light on the benefits of exercise for the elderly brain.
Researchers discovered that participants experienced the same cognitive benefits and improved memory from a single exercise session as they did from longer, regular exercise.
The study involved 34 healthy participants aged 60 to 80 years who were not regularly active. Each participant underwent two separate exercise sessions on a stationary bike, with light and then more strenuous resistance, lasting 20 minutes.
Before and after each exercise session, participants underwent a brain scan and completed a memory test. The results showed bursts of activity in regions involved in memory collection and sharing, and increased connectivity between the brain's memory center and regions involved in cognition and memory in some individuals.
These individuals also performed better on memory tests, while others showed little to no gain. The study also found that regular exercise, pedaling on a stationary bike for 50 minutes three times a week for three months, resulted in mental benefits, but the brain gains were no greater than the improvements from a single exercise session.
Further research is needed to understand the temporary nature of the cognitive benefits and why some individuals benefit more than others.
