The Connection Between Physical Exercise and Memory
As more research is conducted on the brain, it has become more apparent to scientists that the connections between the body and mind are stronger than were previously imagined.
Not only is physical exercise important for keeping the body healthy, but it has also become apparent that it may reduce the chances of a person developing dementia or other memory disorders. There are a number of reasons why this occurs. Physical exercise has an effect on the cardiovascular system that is well documented. It seems that there is a connection between the health of the brain and the health of the heart.
Physical exercise is also responsible for the regulation of the blood sugar levels. Research has shown that the amount of glucose tolerance in the body has an effect on the size of the hippocampus. In addition to this, exercise will increase the amount of blood flow to the brain, and this blood is rich in oxygen. Increasing the amount of oxygen and blood to the brain will allow it to function correctly, and this will have an effect on the memory. While physical exercise is important for both men and women, studies have shown that it is more important for aging women than men.
While the importance of exercise for the memory of older people is well documented, the situation with young people is different. While there have been a large number of studies conducted on older people, very few have been done on children and young adults. One reason for this is because many feel that young people are already healthy, and their need for exercise to improve their memory may not be as important as seniors. However, one study conducted in 2001 showed that young people who jogged a few times a week performed better on memory tests than those who did not jog on a regular basis.
One of the problems with this study is that the young people who were jogging immediately begin to score lower on the tests when they stopped. What this shows is that their level of exercise is not the most important cause. If this was the primary cause, the young people who took the test should have not begin scoring low so quickly. The scientists who conducted the study believed that it was likely that the increased oxygen flow to the brain was responsible for the higher scores of the participants. The amount of oxygen flow to the brain will increase when a person is engaged in physical activities, and when this occurs, the reaction time of the person will also increase.
At the same time, a number of studies have been taken of young children, and the results show that there is a strong link between their school test scores and physical fitness. Children who were in good physical shape were quickly able to process visual information. In addition to the research that has been conducted on humans, a number of studies have been conducted on animals. Rodents have been used for these studies, and the results were much more powerful, because the researchers had more control over the environment. Not only did these scientists want to know about the connection between physical exercise and memory, but they wanted to know why there was such a connection.
The results from the tests that were conducted on mice indicate that the synapses in their brains were reinforced, and it also helped in the growth of neurons. However, if the mice got too much exercise, they would become confused, and would have a hard time moving through a maze. What this shows is that too much physical exertion can cause the brain to produce too many neurons, and it could actually interfere with the ability of an organism to learn. Generally, the creation of neurons assist the brain in learning and memory. Despite this, it is important to have balance. While you will want to exercise your body to improve your mind, it should never be overdone.
The regions of the brain which will be effected by physical exercise the most are the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and the temporal cortex. In addition to physical exercise, the type of diet that a person eats must be taken into consideration as well.
