FLICKR, SILVER BLU3
Exercise doesn’t just benefit the body, it also benefits the mind. But how it does so, and why individual responses to physical activity often vary, remain mysteries.
“What are the factors that contribute [to individual variability]?” Kirk Erickson of the University of Pittsburgh asked during a symposium this week (November 13) at the annual Society for Neuroscience (SfN) conference ongoing in San Diego, California. “Are they just genetically lucky or have they done something to impact their brain volume and brain health?”
Erickson and fellow panelists ran through years of research demonstrating the cognitive benefits of physical activity. In general, more physically fit older adults tend to have enlarged brain regions, such as the hippocampus, and outperform less-fit peers on a variety of cognitive tasks.
...
