There is growing scientific evidence that exercise can benefit the brain and help maintain cognitive function, including memory.
Now, a team led by Michelle Voss of the University of Iowa (USA) has discovered more evidence to support the idea that the benefits of a single workout can predict the positive effects of frequent long-term physical activity .
The team presented these findings at this year’s Cognitive Neuroscience Society symposium in San Francisco, California.
As the president of the symposium, Wendy Suzuki of New York University explains, “there is a strong and direct link between physical activity and how your brain works.” ” People still don’t link physical health to brain and cognitive health; they think about putting on a bikini or losing that last pound, not all the brain systems that get better and better every time they exercise.”
However, the study aims to encourage everyone to view exercise differently.
Both short and long term benefits
According to the authors, this study is the first of its kind:discusses both the short-term and long-term benefits of exercise for brain healthwhereas normally, scientists focus on these two aspects separately.
In the study, volunteers agreed to undergofunctional magnetic resonance scannersThey measure brain activity and take tests to assess your working memory. They underwent these assessments once after individual training sessions of light and moderate intensity exercise, and then again after a 12-week fitness program.
After these evaluations, the scientists discovered thatthose who had the most improvements in brain network connectivity and the greatest cognitive benefits after individual workouts also had equally important positive effects at the end of their training programs.
For the purpose of this research, they also noted that they opted for recumbent bikes with motorized pedals, which meant that participants had the option of actively pedaling or allowing the pedals to rotate automatically.
“This feature allowed us to keep the pedal speed constant while only changing the heart rate between light and moderate intensity activity conditions. This is novel for acute exercise paradigms, which often use sitting as a control condition.” says Michelle Voss, leader of the work.
In the future, the researchers hope to replicate their findings in studies with a larger cohort of participants.
Right now, the researchers are recruiting participants for a trial that will increase the length of the fitness program.to 6 monthsto allow volunteers to get more physiological benefits.
Still, he notes, the results show how important it is to stay physically active. “Think about how physical activity can help your cognition today and see what works,” clarifies the expert. “Day by day, the benefits of physical activity can add up.”
The authors explain that, even with all the evidence on the benefits of exercise for the brain, there are many questions that remain unanswered. These include: “What types of exercise work best to provide these improvements?” However, it also expresses the hope that further research may, little by little, provide all the necessary answers.
