Discuss the beneficial relationship between brain and physical health.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Physical health is associated with neurological health and plasticity throughout adulthood and well into older adulthood. Recent research suggests that caloric restriction may hold potential for improving memory, improving connectivity among neurons, and increasing gray matter volume in parts of the brain implicated in memory. Many cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have shown that aerobic exercise training in older adulthood is associated with increases in brain volume and cognitive function, especially executive function. Aerobic exercise and activities that improve coordination are associated with increases in volume and connectivity in the frontal cortex, temporal lobe, and the hippocampus, areas responsible for memory, planning, and problem-solving and prone to age-related deterioration.
Physical activity is associated with greater gray matter volume in several areas of the brain including the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus and a reduced risk for cognitive impairment. Moreover, even sedentary older adults introduced to a long-term program of moderate physical activity show increases in hippocampal volume over a 2-year period, suggesting that it is never too late to improve physical and neurological function.