Exercise and the

Brain
 Our Mission
To ensure that every person is given opportunities for
lifelong learning and fulfillment.
We do this by altering perceptions, and by supporting
those with intellectual and developmental challenges
and acquired brain injuries in achieving their life goals
as valued and respected members of our world.
Our Core Values
Responsible Empathetic Supportive Passionate Empowered
Committed Trustworthy

RESPECT
Our Vision
By 2014 our distinct ability to deliver high quality
individualized services in modern living, learning and
working environments will exceed stakeholder expectations
and secure Bancroft as the region’s elite provider of
services to people with intellectual and developmental
disabilities and brain injuries.
2
Strength of mind is exercise,
not rest
-Alexander
Pope

It is exercise alone that

supports the spirits, and keeps
the mind in vigor
- Marcus Tullius
Cicero
3
Goals

• How does exercise benefit

general health?
• How does exercise benefit
neurological health?
• What are specific cognitive
benefits of exercise?
• What is neuroplasticity?
• How does exercise benefit
neuroplasticity?
4
Format
• GEOGRAPHY OF THE BRAIN
• WHAT IS NEUROPLASTICITY
• EXERCISE
o What it is
o Physiology
• EXERCISE AND THE BRAIN
o Simple connections
o Complex connections
5
The link should be
clear

• Our brain is a physical organ

• Our brain is a thinking organ

6
The link should be clear

Exercise helps us physically

• strengthens: hearts, bones, lungs,
blood vessels
• physical changes should be related
to thinking changes

Like our other organs, our brain is a

constantly changing organ
7
The brain: physical
organ
Geography of the brain

• Brain basics
• Neurons
• Blood vessels
• Neurotransmitters

8
The brain: a thinking
organ

What is thinking?
• Cognition refers to any mental
process

9
What is cognition?

Areas of cognition include:

• Attention
• Concentration
• Sensory skills
• Motor skills

10
What is cognition?

Areas of cognition include:

• Language
• Visual Skills
• Memory
• Problem solving/judgment moral
reasoning

11
Brain Geography

12
Neuroplasticity

What is neuroplasticity?
• Refers to the ability of the brain to
shape itself according to experience
• Refers to physical change on a
neuronal level

13
Neuroplasticity

What changes when we learn?

• Neurons connect with other
neurons
• Synapses strength changes with
learning
• More synapses form between
neurons

14
What is exercise?
Types
• Cardiovascular
• Weight training (resistance
training)

Intensity
• Active lifestyle
• Light
• Vigorous
15
What happens when we
exercise?
Heart rate increases
Hormones respond
• Pituitary gland releases human
growth hormone to increase
production of bone, muscle, or
connective tissue cells.
Pituitary gland regulates
• Thyroid
16
Pituitary Gland
• Located in brain, limbic system
• Influences:
o Thyroid: neck
o Adrenal: kidneys

17
18
What happens when we
exercise?
Hormones respond
• Pituitary gland regulates thyroid
gland

Thyroid: releases hormones

• Increase heart rate and blood
pressure
• Regulate body temperature
19

•
What happens when we
exercise?
Hormones respond
• Pituitary gland regulates
o Adrenal glands: In response to the
ACTH (adrenocorticotropin) from the
pituitary, release
o 1. cortisol: causes blood pressure to
rise, triggers increase in glucose,
20
acts as anti-inflammatory agent
(repairs tissues) Curbs non-critical
What happens when we
exercise?
Hormones respond
• Pituitary gland regulates
o Adrenal glands: In response to the
ACTH (adrenocorticotropin) from the
pituitary, release
o 2. aldosterone: bodily response to
anticipate dehydration through
21
impact on kidney function.
What happens when we
exercise?
Hormones respond
• Pituitary gland regulates
o Adrenal glands: In response to the
ACTH (adrenocorticotropin) from
the pituitary, release
o 3. adrenaline (fight or flight)
mechanism. A stimulant, increases
22
strength and frequency of heart
contractions. Speeds breakdown of
Section Break
• GEOGRAPHY OF THE BRAIN
• WHAT IS NEUROPLASTICITY
• EXERCISE
o What it is
o Physiology
• EXERCISE AND THE BRAIN
o Simple connections
o Complex connections
23
Exercise and the Brain:
How do we know they are
linked
Studies vary greatly (meta-analysis,
Kramer et al)
• Ages vary
• Length of time looked at varies
• Exercise type varies
• Method of reporting varies (often self-
report)
• Method
24 of reporting cognitive skill varies
(e.g., MMSE screen, neuropsych, presence
What is the link?
Simple links
• Increased blood flow to the brain is
good for us
• Simple mind/body benefits:
mindfulness training, yoga
Complex links
• Neuroplasticity
• Preventing problems
• Improved mood--- improved thinking
25
Simple connections

• Exercise improves blood flow to the

brain
• Is increased blood flow related to
improved cognition?

26
Simple connections
Physical effects of exercise
• Increased blood flow to the brain
o Blood volume increases
o Blood flow is more “predictable”
o Small vessels grow – increase in
number
• Study of 16 women aged 60 and
older, walking briskly 3-4 times per
week, improved blood flow up to 15
27

%
Simple connections
Physical effects of exercise
• Brings O2, glucose, nutrients to
brain cells, vital for cell health
• Cell growth: supports new
connections, particularly in
hippocampus- memory
• Blood washes away “metabolic
wastes” such as “amyloid beta
protein” (implicated in development
28
Simple connections
Walking:
• Increases blood circulation
• Increased oxygen and glucose to the
brain
• Not strenuous- muscles do not use
extra oxygen and glucose as in more
strenuous exercise

In sum, you oxygenate your brain

29

“Clear your head”

Complex Links
Complex links
• Prevents primary neurologic disease
• Promotes healthy normal aging
• Neuroplasticity
• Improved mood--- improved thinking

30
Exercise prevents
primary neurologic
disease
Primary Neurologic Disease
• Vascular disease
o Cholesterol lowering effects of
exercise
o Exercise lowers blood pressure:
 High blood pressure is related to
stroke and mild cognitive
31
impairment
Exercise promotes
healthy aging
Normal Aging
• Ameliorates decline: Canadian
researchers1 examined active lifestyle for
“elderly” individuals over 2-5 years,
showed stability in cognitive functioning
for individuals who were active, greater
change if sedentary.
• 90% of individuals with greatest daily
energy
32 scored consistently on tests each
year
Exercise promotes
healthy aging
Normal Aging
• More specifically, women in 70’s
with vascular disease showed a
slower rate of cognitive decline than
the active group. Editorial (Dr. Eric
Larson) noted the goal was to slow
the onset of dementia.
33
Exercise promotes
healthy aging
Normal Aging
• A second study2 showed that light
duty weight training has
neurological effects.
• After one year, older women who
lifted 2x per week showed changes
on both functional MRIs and
cognitive tests.
34
Exercise promotes
healthy aging
Normal Aging: start early!
• Mayo clinic study of 1,126
individuals with “normal cognition”
(as opposed to Mild cognitive
impairment)3
• Individuals with Moderate exercise
during midlife were less likely to
develop impairment in later life
35
Exercise promotes
healthy aging

• Exercise prevents onset of dementia

• Meta analysis of 1600 research
papers examining role of exercise in
perserving cognitive abilities
• Conclusion: Important therapy
against dementia
36
Exercise promotes
healthy aging
“…you can make a very compelling
argument for exercise as a disease-
modifying strategy to prevent
dementia and mild cognitive
impairment, and for favorably
modifying these processes once they
have developed.”
37
-- J. Eric Ahlskog, M.D., Ph.D., neurologist,
Exercise promotes healthy
aging
Other Neurologic Disease
• Parkinson’s Disease
o Researchers4 followed 140,000 people
with avg. age of 63 for 10 years.
o Moderate to vigorous activity levels were
related to a 40% less chance to develop
Parkinsons than those with light or no
activity levels.
o Not clear if the relationship is focused on
38
short term or long term (i.e., do you need
to start exercising at 40?)
Exercise promotes healthy
aging
Other Neurologic Disease
• Mild cognitive impairment (MCI): each
year, 10-15% of individuals with mild
cognitive impairment will develop
dementia5.
• Study: 33 adults with MCI. 23 assigned
randomly to aerobic group and exercised at
high intensity levels for 45-60 minutes per
day,
39 4 days per week, with a trainer.
Control group: 10 individuals performed
Exercise promotes healthy
aging
Other Neurologic Disease
• Found improved fitness (body fat
analysis, metabolic markers) and
improved cognition.
• Cognitive improvements were more
marked in women than men. This
may be related to body’s use of
insulin, glucose, and cortisol, which
40
Exercise and Stress
• Chronic cortisol release leads to
detrimental effects:
o Chronically high cortisol reduces
dopamine
• Exercise initially mimics this effect
• Regular exercise training helps to
reduce cortisol levels (e.g., a 20
minute walk ceases to be “stressful”
to the body).
41
Mood Benefits
Exercise improves stress tolerance:
• Exercise causes a drop in stress
hormones
• Improves “resilience” to stress
• Brain-derived neurotrophic factors
(BDNF)
o “fertilizer” of the brain’s neurons
o Grow more quickly, develop stronger
42
connections
Mood Benefits
Exercise improves stress tolerance:
• Rats assigned to 4 groups6:
o Engaged in “voluntary running”
o Given antidepressants
o Both
o Neither
• Rats then underwent a 2-day “forced
swimming” procedure
6. California State University, 2001

43
Mood Benefits
Exercise improves stress tolerance:
• Results:
o BDNF levels in untreated animals
were depressed
o Animals that were given physical
training or antidepressants had
BDNF restored to baseline
o Animals with both showed increase in
hippocampal BDNF well above
44 baseline.
Mood Benefits
Improved mood improves
cognition:
• Exercise has an “antidepressant
effect”
• Antidepressant effect of running
was associate with more cell growth
in hippocampus9

9. Proceedings
45 of the Academy of Natural Sciences, 2010
Does exercise foster
neuroplasticity?
• Exercise increased growth factors in brain
making it easier to grow new connections 10
• Mice that ran on a wheel had twice as many
new brain cells as mice housed in standard
cages11. As a comparison, provided mice
with other “enriched” environments (e.g.,
“free swim”)- only running produced the
effect.
o Growth was in the hippocampus
(learning and memory)
46
10. UCLA, 2011
11. Nature Neuroscience, 1999
Does exercise foster
neuroplasticity?
• Illinois researchers scanned brains of 55
individuals aged 55-79, measured
maximal O2 during exercise12
• Used MRIs and functional imaging to
examine age-related brain shrinkage
• Results: fit subjects had less shrinkage in
temporal, parietal, and frontal areas-
crucial for learning and memory

47
12. Journal of Gerontology, 2003
Does exercise foster
neuroplasticity?
• Meta-analysis of 18 controlled
studies of cognitive function and
aerobic fitness for individuals aged
55-8013

13. Psychological Sciences, 2003

48
Does exercise foster
neuroplasticity?
Results:
• Exercise had clear, selective cognitive
benefits for attention, organization,
planning
• Frontal skills
• Strength training combined with aerobic
fitness was most effective
• Exercise sessions of less than 30 minutes
per
49 session had little impact
Does exercise foster
neuroplasticity?
• Brain-derived neurotrophic factors
(BDNF)
• “fertilizer” of the brain’s neurons
o Grow more quickly, develop stronger
connections
• Associated with improved cognition,
mood
50
Does exercise foster
neuroplasticity?
• Brain-derived neurotrophic factors
(BDNF)
• produced in the brain during endurance
training
• produced peripherally in resistance
training, circulates to the brain
• University of Florida study: 20 college
aged men14
51
o Increased neurotrophic factors at 1, 30 and
60 minutes after endurance training
Cognitive exercise
• Cognitive exercise has similar
effects
• Two together have strongest
effects
• Visualizing exercise improves
neuroplasticity as well
• Best exercise is novel tasks: at
any level
52
Yoga is cognitive and
physical

• Yoga, mind/body connection is

good for us
• Yoga decreases depression,
anxiety, hypertension, stress

53
Yoga is cognitive and
physical

Yoga: the research

• Enhanced effects of meditation
alone
• Study of novice participants in a
12-week yoga training program15

15. Journal
54 of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2009
Yoga is cognitive and
physical
Results:
• EEG changes were greater in left
hemisphere
• Participants experienced greater ability
to activate their brain, particularly right
hemisphere, through yoga
• Increased blood flow in right pre-frontal
cortex
55
• Changes in amygdala, sensorimotor
Conclusions
• Cognition is complex
• MIND-MOOD-BRAIN all
connected to health

56
Conclusions
Exercise is shown to positively affect
cognition in the following ways:
• Improving blood circulation
• Increased availability of oxygen
and nutrients
• Clears metabolic waste

57
Conclusions
Exercise prevents disease:
• Cardiovascular effects decrease
risk of stroke
• Shown to prevent Alzheimers,
Parkinsons, mild cognitive
impairment onset

58
Conclusions
• Regular exercise decreases our
symptoms of stress (e.g., lowers
cortisol)
• Improves resiliency
• Improves mood- acts as an
antidepressant
• Increases growth of neurons in key
areas:
59
o Frontal lobes, hippocampus
Practical Advice
The Basics:
• Do something
• Stick with what you stick with
• Every bit counts: even 20 minutes
of exercise facilitates brain
function

60
Practical Advice
The Details:
• Exercise has short term effects of
mood, concentration, memory and
stress that last for several hours
after exercise
• Moderate exercise for a six month
time frame is beneficial to begin to
see long term benefits
61
Practical Advice
The Details:
• Exercise should continue with age
• Exercise that encourages cognitive
focus has additional benefits : find
something that challenges you
(ballroom dancing, a new class,
yoga, etc.)
• Exercise that is interesting is also
good (vary your walk!)
62
Special Information:
Brain Injury
Exercise after concussion is not
recommended:
• REST IS RECOMMENDED

63
Special Information:
Brain Injury
For all these reasons, exercise is
important for long term recovery
from a brain injury
• Promotes mood
• Promotes stable sleep patterns
• Promotes physical health
• Promotes self-efficacy, improved views of
health
• Promotes
64
neurogenesis in animal models
Special Information:
Brain Injury
For all these reasons, exercise is
important for long term recovery
from a brain injury
• Promotes mood
• Promotes stable sleep patterns
• Promotes physical health
• Promotes self-efficacy, improved views of
health
• Promotes
65
neurogenesis in animal models
 Questions?

66
Thank you for joining us!

67