Neuroscience
Great set of stories in Newsweek a few weeks back on exercise. One article in particular, Can Exercise Make You Smarter?, by Mary Carmichael (March 26, 2007) discusses the relationship between exercise and the brain.
Charles Hillman, of the University of Illinois' Neurocognitive Kinesiology Laboratory, has shown a correlation between physical fitness and performance on statewide standardized tests for 3rd & 5th graders in Illinois (see Castelli, D. M., Hillman, C. H., Buck, S. M., & Erwin, H. E. (in press). "Physical Fitness and Academic Achievement in 3rd and 5th Grade Students." Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology.)
Carmichael asserts that Hillman's study isn't the only research to show this correlation: "... in a landmark paper, researchers announced that they had coaxed the human brain into growing new nerve cells, a process that for decades had been thought impossible, simply by putting subjects on a three-month aerobic-workout regimen." This sounds intriguing -- I'd like to read the research itself (ok, I'd just like to retrieve the article; I'm a librarian, not a researcher), so I wish Newsweek would cite their sources!
Hillman summarizes: "...exercise can affect cognition ... just as it affects muscles." The article describes in layman's terms how this might work, involving the chemical brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) -- which Harvard psychiatrist John Ratey calls "Miracle-Gro for the brain." He adds that a workout will help with "focus, calming down, impulsivity" as well.
And the effect seems to be relatively quick: after a 30-minute workout, Hillman notes that " 'within 48 minutes' your brain will be in better shape." Early results suggest that PE in schools could improve children's test scores: in Naperville, Illinois, "students with poor verbal skills have started taking PE immediately before reading class. Their report cards, says Ratey, are already looking better."
Exercise + education = smarter kids. Carmichael concludes that exercise isn’t enough: "kids have to hit the library as well as the gym."
- Can Physical Exercise Really Improve Reading Ability?
Bouncing on a gym ball, spinning round, and other physical exercises can help improve the reading ability of children at risk of dyslexia. That's according to David Reynolds and Roderick Nicolson, whose latest claims have attracted robust criticism...
- Is The Benefit Of Exercise A Placebo Effect?
The next time you're doing the housework, try donning a tracksuit, cranking up the Rocky sound-track and viewing the whole thing as an exercise session – doing so could have a positive effect on your health. That's according to Alia Crum and...
- Neuropsychology Abstract Of The Day: Preventing Cognitive Decline
Exergaming and older adult cognition a cluster randomized clinical trial Am J Prev Med. 2012 Feb;42(2):109-19 Anderson-Hanley C, Arciero PJ, Brickman AM, Nimon JP, Okuma N, Westen SC, Merz ME, Pence BD, Woods JA, Kramer AF, Zimmerman EA Abstract BACKGROUND:...
- The Game Brain
An excellent op-ed piece in today's New York Times about the value of exercise - of the physical variety - in mental gymnastics. A Risser suggestion to supplement the intent of the opinion writers: get out there and walk around, but take a camera...
- Ever Thought About Sport & Exercise Psychology? Here's A First Look!
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Neuroscience
Hit the Gym and then the Library
Great set of stories in Newsweek a few weeks back on exercise. One article in particular, Can Exercise Make You Smarter?, by Mary Carmichael (March 26, 2007) discusses the relationship between exercise and the brain.
Charles Hillman, of the University of Illinois' Neurocognitive Kinesiology Laboratory, has shown a correlation between physical fitness and performance on statewide standardized tests for 3rd & 5th graders in Illinois (see Castelli, D. M., Hillman, C. H., Buck, S. M., & Erwin, H. E. (in press). "Physical Fitness and Academic Achievement in 3rd and 5th Grade Students." Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology.)
Carmichael asserts that Hillman's study isn't the only research to show this correlation: "... in a landmark paper, researchers announced that they had coaxed the human brain into growing new nerve cells, a process that for decades had been thought impossible, simply by putting subjects on a three-month aerobic-workout regimen." This sounds intriguing -- I'd like to read the research itself (ok, I'd just like to retrieve the article; I'm a librarian, not a researcher), so I wish Newsweek would cite their sources!
Hillman summarizes: "...exercise can affect cognition ... just as it affects muscles." The article describes in layman's terms how this might work, involving the chemical brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) -- which Harvard psychiatrist John Ratey calls "Miracle-Gro for the brain." He adds that a workout will help with "focus, calming down, impulsivity" as well.
And the effect seems to be relatively quick: after a 30-minute workout, Hillman notes that " 'within 48 minutes' your brain will be in better shape." Early results suggest that PE in schools could improve children's test scores: in Naperville, Illinois, "students with poor verbal skills have started taking PE immediately before reading class. Their report cards, says Ratey, are already looking better."
Exercise + education = smarter kids. Carmichael concludes that exercise isn’t enough: "kids have to hit the library as well as the gym."
- Can Physical Exercise Really Improve Reading Ability?
Bouncing on a gym ball, spinning round, and other physical exercises can help improve the reading ability of children at risk of dyslexia. That's according to David Reynolds and Roderick Nicolson, whose latest claims have attracted robust criticism...
- Is The Benefit Of Exercise A Placebo Effect?
The next time you're doing the housework, try donning a tracksuit, cranking up the Rocky sound-track and viewing the whole thing as an exercise session – doing so could have a positive effect on your health. That's according to Alia Crum and...
- Neuropsychology Abstract Of The Day: Preventing Cognitive Decline
Exergaming and older adult cognition a cluster randomized clinical trial Am J Prev Med. 2012 Feb;42(2):109-19 Anderson-Hanley C, Arciero PJ, Brickman AM, Nimon JP, Okuma N, Westen SC, Merz ME, Pence BD, Woods JA, Kramer AF, Zimmerman EA Abstract BACKGROUND:...
- The Game Brain
An excellent op-ed piece in today's New York Times about the value of exercise - of the physical variety - in mental gymnastics. A Risser suggestion to supplement the intent of the opinion writers: get out there and walk around, but take a camera...
- Ever Thought About Sport & Exercise Psychology? Here's A First Look!
Sport and Exercise Psychology Are you interested in a career involving sport and exercise? Are you fascinated by the science of psychology? Do you enjoy helping people reach their peak potential? Then consider a career in Sport Psychology What is Sport...