Aerobic Exercise Boosts Brain Connectivity, Function in Aging Brains

RoseTracker| A group of 65 couch potatoes, aged 59 to 80, has demonstrated that even the brains of aging vegetables can be reclaimed with moderate exercise — in this case walking at one’s own pace for 40 minutes three times a week. The gains in connectivity of important brain circuits and brain function came from walking, but not stretching or toning exercise. Note the latter are important but not as relevant for brain function.

Researchers focused on the front part of the brain specializing in networks, a region that declines in connectivity as people age, without the intervention of exercise.

The new study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to determine whether aerobic activity actually increased connectivity in the DMN part of the brain. The significantly-improved connectivity resulted in significantly better performance on cognitive tests than the toning and stretching groups. via Science Daily