Neuroplasticity in the Elderly

Nowadays the number of new gyms opening up at the corner of each street are numerous, as are the number of people with gym memberships and fitness related goals. This is no coincidence given the increased knowledge of the benefits of maintaining an active lifestyle. Recent studies have also found that there are enhancements in memory in older adults after exercise, showing that exercise can have rapid effects on brain function which can accumulate and cause long-term improvements. Up until recently, scientists believed that adult brains were fixed in their structure and function, but with advancements in neuroscience it has been shown that adult brains are moldable and can reorganize synaptic connections based on lifestyle.

Animal studies have shown that exercise increases certain neurochemicals as well as the number of new neurons in mature brains which improves the animal’s cognitive abilities. This is reflected in human studies as well, that show that regular exercise increases the volume of the hippocampus overtime. Researchers examined the long-term effects of exercise on portions of the brain involved in semantic memory processing. The scientist found that a 12-week program of treadmill walking altered the areas of the brain involved in semantic memory tests. After as little as four months the areas of the brain became less active meaning the brain was being more proficient at semantic memory processing because of the exercise regimen.

Similar, detailed research was presented by Dr. Dave at Loyola University that expanded on research studies that have observed an age-related recollection impairment correlated to hippocampal-cortical connectivity. In her lab, they found that overall with age when areas of the brain were stimulated that elder adults performed better than those given a sham. This research can be related back to the studies previously mentioned that exercising certain areas of the brain will result in improvements in overall cognitive abilities.

References:

Nilakantan, A. S., Bridge, D. J., Vanhaerents, S., & Voss, J. L. (2018). Distinguishing the precision of spatial recollection from its success: Evidence from healthy aging and unilateral mesial temporal lobe resection. Neuropsychologia,119, 101-106. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.07.035

Reynolds, G. (n.d.). How Exercise Affects Our Memory. Retrieved May 1, 2019, from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/well/move/how-exercise-affects-our-memory.html?action=click&module=Associated&pgtype=Article®ion=Footer&contentCollection=Phys Ed