Run for Your Brain

Two articles in the January 1, 2017 edition of the New York Times pertained to healthy aging. The first article, “How to Become a Superager” was a study that compared, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the brains of 17 superagers to those brains of similarly aged people. The superager is one whose memory and attention is above average for their age. Their brain compared favorably to the brain of a healthy active 25-year-old. These researchers found that the regions of the cortex that are associated with memory and attention were in fact thicker for the superagers. In other words, there was less age-related atrophy in the brains of the -superager’s. And of course the superager’s had better performance scores on tests of memory and attention. These researchers hypothesized that one can keep these cortex regions of the brain healthy through vigorous exercise and strenuous mental effort. Although physical exercise wasn’t clearly defined, they pointed to discomfort as a result of exertion, which means building muscle and discipline by using a Marine Corps motto “pain is weakness leaving the body.” They added that deciphering puzzles like Sudoku and other brain games are not enough to strengthen those cortex regions in the brain. The second article, “For a Happy Hippocampus, Keep Running” focused on the relationship of physical exercise on the development of new neurons found in the hippocampus. The primary function of the hippocampus is learning and memory formation. This study measured brain- derived neurotrophic factor B. D. N. F .production. To Be Continued