Time does not pass in vain for anyone and we know that it does not spare bodies or minds. In the search for eternal youth, one must also remember the brain. How can we maintain an agile mind and a young brain? A recent study published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience seems to have found a key pair .
Tim Gard and a large group of collaborators recruited a total of 47 adults, including 16 yoga practitioners, 16 meditators and 15 controls who did not perform either of the two activities. All of them underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging of their brain activity at rest and their general cognitive functioning and fluid intelligence capacity were evaluated. Fluid intelligence is that ability that allows us to adapt to new situations, reason with logic and abstraction , and which is not so determined by what we learn in school.
The analysis of the results of his study showed that the deterioration in fluid intelligence typical of age was slower in people who practiced yoga and meditation , and that in addition, the brain networks responsible for functional activity at rest were better preserved, thus, according to the authors, more resilient to damage than controls.
This data again supports the idea that our brains are grateful, and that they benefit, no matter how old we are, from healthy habits such as meditation, cognitive training and physical exercise . Do something for your brain!
Marisa Fernández, Senior Neuropsychologist, Unobrain
