Exercise, Learning and the Aging Brain
W. T. Greenough, J. Churchill, R. Galvez
Beckman Institute,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
405 N Mathews,
Urbana, IL 61801
Animal and human research have indicated effects of physical exercise, motor skills learning and “mental exercise” upon the structure and function of the developing and mature brain. This presentation reports that both “mental exercise” (in a complex environment or learning tasks) and physical exercise (in activity wheels or a treadmill) can affect the structure of the brain, as evident in cerebral and cerebellar cortex. When mental and physical exercise are combined in a complex environment, neurons, glia and vasculature exhibit structural changes. When mental activity is primary, as in complex motor skill learning, the number and sometimes the structure of synapses tend to be altered. When physical activity is primary, as with daily running wheel or treadmill activity, brain vasculature is incremented. The effects on vasculature are evident in functional imaging measures of blood flow such as fMRI.
(Supported by AG10154 and the Retirement Research Foundation)
Key words:
Physical exercise, learning, brain, capillary, synapse
Problems or questions regarding this site should be directed to
webmaster@americanaging.org