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To think faster, move faster
The Moving Brain
A large portion of the brain is designed for movement, and when people stop moving they stop engaging those areas. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, works as fertilizer for the brain by supporting synapses and connections. BDNF is released in the brain itself and does not travel through the blood across the blood-brain barrier.
Exercise also improves blood flow and peripheral insulin resistance, which relates to cerebral insulin resistance, meaning insulin resistance in the brain.
Moving Fast
Many people limit fast movements and sprinting as they age. It does not have to be running, since it can be done on a bike. At the aging and memory clinic Gabrielle Lyon helped run as a geriatric fellow at Wash U, movement and exercise were always asked about and always tested.
How does BDNF help the brain?
BDNF binds a receptor called TrkB, which supports the survival of neurons and the growth of synapses. It was first purified from pig brain in 1982 by Yves-Alain Barde and Hans Thoenen. In the hippocampus, it is involved in long-term potentiation, the strengthening of connections that underlies learning in lab models.
Why is so much of the brain about movement?
The cerebellum, which coordinates movement, holds about 80 percent of the brain's neurons, according to cell counts by Suzana Herculano-Houzel. The motor cortex and basal ganglia add to that. Neuroscientist Rodolfo Llinas often points to the sea squirt: its larva swims with a small brain, then digests most of its nervous system after settling on a rock for good.
How does exercise improve brain blood flow?
Exercise raises the heart's output, and the resulting friction of blood against vessel walls triggers release of nitric oxide, which widens the vessels. In a 2011 study led by Kirk Erickson at the University of Pittsburgh, older adults who did aerobic walking for a year gained about 2 percent in hippocampal volume.