Neuroscience
By Natalie Taplin at Totton College
Elderly people who are more physically active are protected from cognitive decline. That's the message from an American study led by Jennifer Weuve at the Harvard School of Public Health.
In 1986, part of the Nurses Health Study began tracking physical activity in more than 18,766 women aged 70-81, all of them former nurses. The women completed a baseline cognitive test over the telephone in 1995 and then again every two years until 2001.
Women who engaged in more leisure activity showed less cognitive decline and higher levels of cognitive function. Even those women who only walked a leisurely 90 minutes a week had better cognitive scores than those who walked less than 40 minutes a week.
It would appear that the differences in cognitive ability in women with higher vs. lower levels of activity, were similar to the differences in cognitive ability among women two to three years apart in age. So, on average, women who were 80 and highly active, had minds that functioned as if they were 77!
Overall, elderly women in the most active set had a 20% lower risk of cognitive impairment than those who were least active. "Physical activity may directly affect the brain", the authors explained "potentially preserving neuronal structure and promoting the expansion of neural fibres, synapses and capillaries".
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Weuve, J., Kang, J.H., Manson, J.E., Breteler, M.M.B., Ware, J.H. & Grodstein, F. (2004). Physical Activity, Including Walking, and Cognitive Function in Older Women. Journal of the American Medical Association, 292, 1454-1460.
- Neuropsychology Abstract Of The Day: Aging
Physical Activity and Risk of Cognitive Impairment Among Oldest-Old Women. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2013 Jul 3; Wang S, Luo X, Barnes D, Sano M, & Yaffe K.AbstractOBJECTIVES: Physical activity may reduce the risk of cognitive decline...
- Cognitive Decline
A report from the BBC: Brain function can start declining 'as early as age 45' BBC 5 January 2012 Last updated at 20:08 ET [snip] "The brain's ability to function can start to deteriorate as early as 45, suggests a study in the British Medical...
- The Healthy Brain Initiative: Promoting Cognitive Health
The Healthy Brain Initiative website. From the website: [snip] "The lack of cognitive health – from mild cognitive decline to dementia—can have profound implications for an individual’s health and well-being. Older adults and others experiencing...
- More On The Active Study
From an NIH press release: EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE Tuesday, December 19, 2006 4:00 PM ET NIA CONTACT: Susan Farrer or Linda Joy 301- 496-1752 NINR CONTACT: Lanny Newman 301-496-0209 Mental Exercise Helps Maintain Some Seniors’ Thinking Skills Certain...
- Abstract Of The Day: Alzheimer Disease
Pavlik VN, Doody RS, Massman PJ, & Chan W. (2006). Influence of premorbid IQ and education on progression of Alzheimer's Disease. Dementia, Geriatrics, & Cognitive Disorders,22(4), 367-377. [Epub ahead of print] Department of Family and Community...
Neuroscience
Walking away from dementia
By Natalie Taplin at Totton College
Elderly people who are more physically active are protected from cognitive decline. That's the message from an American study led by Jennifer Weuve at the Harvard School of Public Health.
In 1986, part of the Nurses Health Study began tracking physical activity in more than 18,766 women aged 70-81, all of them former nurses. The women completed a baseline cognitive test over the telephone in 1995 and then again every two years until 2001.
Women who engaged in more leisure activity showed less cognitive decline and higher levels of cognitive function. Even those women who only walked a leisurely 90 minutes a week had better cognitive scores than those who walked less than 40 minutes a week.
It would appear that the differences in cognitive ability in women with higher vs. lower levels of activity, were similar to the differences in cognitive ability among women two to three years apart in age. So, on average, women who were 80 and highly active, had minds that functioned as if they were 77!
Overall, elderly women in the most active set had a 20% lower risk of cognitive impairment than those who were least active. "Physical activity may directly affect the brain", the authors explained "potentially preserving neuronal structure and promoting the expansion of neural fibres, synapses and capillaries".
__________________________________
Weuve, J., Kang, J.H., Manson, J.E., Breteler, M.M.B., Ware, J.H. & Grodstein, F. (2004). Physical Activity, Including Walking, and Cognitive Function in Older Women. Journal of the American Medical Association, 292, 1454-1460.
- Neuropsychology Abstract Of The Day: Aging
Physical Activity and Risk of Cognitive Impairment Among Oldest-Old Women. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2013 Jul 3; Wang S, Luo X, Barnes D, Sano M, & Yaffe K.AbstractOBJECTIVES: Physical activity may reduce the risk of cognitive decline...
- Cognitive Decline
A report from the BBC: Brain function can start declining 'as early as age 45' BBC 5 January 2012 Last updated at 20:08 ET [snip] "The brain's ability to function can start to deteriorate as early as 45, suggests a study in the British Medical...
- The Healthy Brain Initiative: Promoting Cognitive Health
The Healthy Brain Initiative website. From the website: [snip] "The lack of cognitive health – from mild cognitive decline to dementia—can have profound implications for an individual’s health and well-being. Older adults and others experiencing...
- More On The Active Study
From an NIH press release: EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE Tuesday, December 19, 2006 4:00 PM ET NIA CONTACT: Susan Farrer or Linda Joy 301- 496-1752 NINR CONTACT: Lanny Newman 301-496-0209 Mental Exercise Helps Maintain Some Seniors’ Thinking Skills Certain...
- Abstract Of The Day: Alzheimer Disease
Pavlik VN, Doody RS, Massman PJ, & Chan W. (2006). Influence of premorbid IQ and education on progression of Alzheimer's Disease. Dementia, Geriatrics, & Cognitive Disorders,22(4), 367-377. [Epub ahead of print] Department of Family and Community...