Physical exercise is a vital factor in maintaining and improving memory and cognitive performance, and a recent special issue of Brain Plasticity, “Exercise Effects on Cognitive Function in Humans,” explores this connection. Ozioma Okonkwo, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine in the division of geriatrics and gerontology, was guest editor for the special issue, and also co-authored an editorial about the published research.
The issue editorial outlines four research papers and three reviews. Some of the topics explored include risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease, how different exercise intensities affect distinct brain networks, the link between cardiorespiratory fitness and executive function, and the underlying effects of exercise on sleep and cognition.
One of the featured research papers, “Brain Glucose Metabolism, Cognition, and Cardiorespiratory Fitness Following Exercise Training in Adults at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease,” by Gaitán et al. comes from Okonkwo’s lab and discusses the effects of exercise on cerebral glucose metabolism. The research found that improved cardiorespiratory fitness from exercise was associated with greater glucose metabolism and enhanced executive function. Notably, this study was performed with late middle-aged adults that are at high risk of Alzheimer’s disease, which suggests that improved fitness during preclinical disease periods may delay early cognitive changes associated with the disease.
“This research shows it’s never too late to begin an exercise regimen,” Okonkwo says. “Even people who have been sedentary their whole lives can see brain and cognitive benefits from engaging in structured physical exercise later in life.”
Additional articles in the issue continue this look at exercise and Alzheimer’s disease. The first review defines the risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias as: physical inactivity, ‘Western’ dietary patterns (e.g. saturated fats and complex carbohydrates, low intake of fruits and vegetables), and poorly controlled cardiometabolic risk factors like weight, smoking, and blood pressure. The review concludes that combining dietary changes and exercise may effectively prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
Read the full issue of Brain Plasticity online.
Story by Tyler Fox.
- Log in to post comments
