How exercise affects memory – 05/09/2019

A single, moderate exercise session can immediately change how our brain works and the extent to which we recognize common names and similar information, according to a promising new study on Exercise, memory and aging. The study adds to the growing evidence that Exercise can have quick effects on brain function and that these effects can accumulate and lead to long-term improvements in the functioning of our brain and our memories.

Until recently, scientists thought that the human brain remained relatively fixed in its structure and function, especially with respect to elastic tissues such as muscles, which continually develop or wither in direct response to life that we lead. But several more recent experiments have shown that the human brain can actually be very flexible and reconnect and reform in different ways, depending on our type of life.

We know that exercise, for example, influences our brain. In animal experiments, it increases the production of neurochemicals, the number of neurons born in mature brains and improves the mental abilities of animals. Similarly, in humans, studies show that over time, regular exercise increases the volume of the hippocampus, a key element of brain memory networks. It also improves many aspects of people's thinking.

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However, important issues regarding exercise and the brain persist, including the temporal evolution of any change and the question of whether the changes are short-term or, with continuous training, become sustainable.

This latest issue has particularly intrigued scientists from the University of Maryland, United States. In 2013, they had already published a study on the elderly, which examined the long-term effects of exercise on parts of the brain involved in the processing of semantic memory.

In essence, semantic memory is our knowledge of the world and culture of which we are a part. It represents the context of our lives, a set of common names and concepts such as "What is the color blue?" Or "Who is Ringo Starr?" It can also be short-lived. In getting older, semantics is often one of the first forms of memory that weakens.

In their previous study, Maryland scientists had discovered that a 12-week walking program on a treadmill had altered the functioning of some parts of the brain related to semantic memory. After four months of exercise, these parties have developed less activity during semantic memory tests, which is a desirable outcome. This weaker activity indicates that the brain has become more effective for processing semantic memory after exercise and it takes fewer resources to access the memories.

Now, for the new study published in April in the Journal of the International Society of Neuropsychology, scientists have begun to follow and dissect the steps necessary to achieve this state. More specifically, they wanted to know how an individual exercise could change the way the brain treats semantic memories.

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They then brought together 26 healthy men and women, aged 55 to 85, who did not have serious memory problems and asked them to go to the lab twice. There, they remained silent or cycled on an exercise bike for 30 minutes, a routine that researchers hoped could stimulate without exhausting them.

The volunteers then entered a brain MRI scanner and saw names flashing on a computer screen placed over their head. Some names were famous, such as Ringo Starr, while others had simply been extracted from the local phone book.

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Famous names are an important element of semantic memory; Volunteers were asked to press a button on the screen to recognize celebrity names and a different button when the name was unknown to them. Meanwhile, researchers they followed the brain activity as a whole, in addition to those of the parties involved in the processing of semantic memory.

Scientists were hoping that the areas needed for semantic memory operation would be quieter after exercise, as had happened after weeks of training, said Carson Smith, badociate professor of kinesiology and psychology. director of the school's brain health laboratory. Public Health of the University of Maryland, who oversaw the new study.

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But this is not what happened. In contrast, the parts of the brain most related to semantic memory they were bubbling with activity much more when people had exercised than when they were resting.

At first, the researchers were surprised and confused by the results, Smith said. But then, they started to badume that they saw the beginning of a reaction to the exercise.

"There is an badogy with what happens with the muscles", the scientist said.

According to Smith, when people start to exercise, the muscles contract and burn with energy. But when they enter the state, these same muscles respond more efficiently, they use less energy for the same work.

The researchers suspect that, similarly, the peak in brain activity after a bike ride is the prelude to a tissue remodeling that, with continued exercise, improves the function of these areas.

In other words, our brain memory centers are getting better.

However, this study is short-term and does not show the steps needed to change the brain through regular exercise. It also does not explain how physical activity impairs the brain, although Smith thinks that an increase in the ability of certain neurotransmitters and other biochemical elements must occur after the exercises.

He and his colleagues hope to examine these questions in future studies and also focus on the best types of exercises and the right amount to help preserve our memories of the great Beatles drummer and all the other highlights of our past.

GRETCHEN REYNOLDS © The New York Times

Román García Azcárate Translation