Brain Boost for Health Problems - with Physical Exercise
My last blog detailed the positive effect of physical exercise on the brain itself. What happens to allow neurogenesis (growth of new brain cells) and increase volume in the hippocampus (center of new learning and memory) to occur. I also took a look at how physical exercise impacts individuals with the APOE-4 allele – the genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease. It is always stunning to me to understand how the brain works. But as much as I was impressed by the information in the last blog, this one will knock you off your feet (just get back up and move).
Cognitive Decline
The focus of this blog will be the effect that physical exercise has on the brain for specific diseases and moods. We should jump right in and take a look at how physical exercise impacts cognitive decline. Cognition encompasses verbal memory, executive function (working memory capacity, analytical and critical reasoning skills, multitasking flexibility, planning, executing and problem-solving ability), and speed of processing (the association between thinking and doing).
Although cognitive decline is associated with the aging brain, there are certain neurodegenerative diseases – such as Alzheimer’s – that are also associated with aging. Studies have indicated that physical activity can slow this process down. In 2014, Finnish scientists released their data showing that being physically active during middle-age can prevent the onset of dementia. Leisure-time physical activity performed at least twice a week yielded maximum neuroprotective effects for people across ages, sex, and varying degrees of genetic susceptibility. For individuals who are already experiencing memory changes, being physically active is still beneficial. There is a higher quality of life and less agitation for those individuals.
White Matter
There have been references to the benefits of physical exercise promoting cerebrovascular health, the release of BDNF (to grow new neurons), and the benefits of glucose and lipid metabolism which bring nourishment to the brain. Grey matter is composed of neurons with long processes known as axons. All of the benefits of physical exercise so far have involved the growth of new neurons – so growth in the grey matter.
White matter is made up of mostly of glial cells and long-range myelinated axons that transmit signals to the grey matter. Myelin forms a protective coating around the axon, insulating it and improving transmission of neuronal signals. As it turns out, physical activity is also associated with improved white matter integrity. Research has shown that physical exercise improves the microstructures of white matter in the brain. White matter integrity is linked to faster neural conduction between brain regions and superior cognitive performance! Arthur Kramer, the director of the Beckman Institute, believes that the reason exercise might improve white matter integrity is that physical activity gets the blood pumping through the brain and improves vascularization of the capillaries. There is also a possibility that myelination improves.
Now there is another interesting study that shows a strong link between the structural integrity of the white matter tracts and an older person’s level of daily activity. The wrinkle is – it wasn’t the extent to which a person engaged in moderate or vigorous exercise, but if someone spent most of the day being sedentary. The real enemy turns out to be being sedentary. This study proved that with just a little bit of movement every day – you can help preserve the integrity of your brain’s white matter.
Parkinson’s Disease
After all of this information we know that exercise is good for you heart, muscles and good for your brain. Can the changes that physical exercise has on the brain have an affect on Parkinson’s disease? In Parkinson’s the neuron that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine are damaged and lost. There is a lag time between the beginning of loss of neurons and the time that motor symptoms of Parkinson’s appear. By the time that most people are diagnosed, nearly 80 percent of their dopamine neurons are already gone. During this lag time the brain is continually adapting, compensating for the loss of dopamine neurons that occurs during neurodegeneration.
This adapting and changing process is known as exercise dependent neuroplasticity. Exercise may have an impact on the brain by driving this compensation. For individuals with Parkinson’s, those who exercise move more normally than those who don’t. Researchers believe that exercise may be contributing to neuroplasticity – helping the brain retain old connections, form new ones and restore lost ones. This may actually outweigh the effects of neurodegeneration (Dr. Giselle Petzinger, 2009). Dr. Petzinger states, “There is compelling scientific evidence in animal models of PD that intensive exercise can alter the way the brain works and promote recovery. Research is showing how exercise improves walking and other motor skills in people with PD. It is also shedding light on how exercise influences neuroplasticity at the molecular level.”
Stroke
Physical exercise has broad health benefits including: improves heart function and lipid profile by lowering total cholesterol. It lowers blood pressure and resting heart rate. Being active reduces the risk and severity of diabetes by increasing insulin sensitivity and it improves strength, balance, endurance and long-term brain health. For a stroke survivor, these health benefits can mean the difference between dependence and independence. As an added bonus, exercise can enhance self-confidence and independence; reduce depression and anxiety.
How do you get started with a physical exercise program after having a stroke? Aerobic activity has three main ingredients: intensity, duration and frequency. No matter what your experience was previous to the stroke it is important to remember to start out slowly. An exercise session with low intensity is better than no exercise at all. For those individuals who have had a long convalescence, muscles may have atrophied and they have lost their aerobic capacity. For these individuals, 10 minutes of physical activity spread out over the day is a good starting point. Through guidance from their physician they may be able to slowly increase the amount of time and intensity of their program. Frequency of physical activity is important to beneficial outcomes. It is recommended to move at a slow and steady pace.
Depression
Research suggests that physical exercise can increase the level of brain serotonin, the neurotransmitter involved in regulating mood, sleep, libido, appetite and other functions. Exercise can also increase the level of endorphins in the brain which have ‘mood-lifting’ properties. Regular exercise may alleviate symptoms of depression by:
Increasing energy levels
Improving sleep
Distracting from worries and rumination
Providing social support and reducing loneliness if exercise is done with other people
Increasing a sense of control and self-esteem, by allowing people to take an active role in their own well-being
(Exercise and Depression Fact Sheet)
Physicians must take a proactive role in encouraging their patients suffering with depression to start an exercise program. Here are three steps to encourage exercise in depressed patients:
Assess the patient’s current physical activity level
Provide an exercise prescription or exercise advise
Refer to an exercise physiologist or exercise program
There is research to support the benefits of physical exercise to alleviate the symptoms of depression.
Numerous studies have shown that people who exercise regularly experience fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety than those who don’t exercise regularly
Several trials have shown that exercise of moderate intensity can be an effective adjunctive treatment by itself for both melancholic and non-melancholic depression
Two trials have found that 16 weeks of regular exercise is equally effective as antidepressant medication in the treatment of mild to moderate depression
Research also suggests that exercise can further assist individuals with depression who have only partially responded to an antidepressant medication
Both aerobic exercise and resistance or strength training have been found to be helpful in treating depression.
(Exercise and Depression Fact Sheet)
Our brains are made to function at their highest level when we get up and move. That is a pretty simple idea. Time to get up and give your brain what it needs – exercise.
Bergland, D. (September 22, 2014). Why is physical activity so good for your brain? Retrieved May 17, 2016 from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201409/why-is-physical-activity-so-good-your-brain
Black Dog Institute. Exercise and Depression Fact Sheet. Retrieved May 17, 2016 from http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au
Lowry, F. (May 31, 2016). Healthy habits may ward off cognitive decline. Retrieved June 1, 2016 from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/864025_print
Petzinger, G. (Fall, 2009). Does exercise impact Parkinson’s disease? Retrieved June 7, 2016 from http://www.pd.org/en/parkinson_exercise_impact
Stroke Association. Physical Activity. Retrieved June 7, 2016 from http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/LifeAfterStroke/
Wlassoff, V. (February 4, 2015). Can exercise improve cognitive abilities? Retrieved March 28, 2016 from http://brainblogger.com/2015/02/04/can-physical-exercise-improve-cognitive-abilities/