By Simon J. Evans, PhD

What does the word ‘fitness’ mean to you? Do you think of a body builder or a marathon runner? Do you think an Olympic swimmer? How about an old person reading a map? Huh? Where’d that last one come from?

A new study published in the January 2009 edition of Hippocampus finds that older adults (59 to 81 years) who were more fit had increased spatial memory compared to less fit adults of the same age. They also had a bigger part of the brain, called the hippocampus, which is involved in learning and memory. The hippocampus is also a part of the brain that is particularly targeted in Alzheimer’s disease. Currently science assumes that when it comes to the hippocampus, bigger is better.

Larger hippocampi (plural form) are also associated with better ability to handle stress. In fact, some studies show that war veterans with a larger hippocampus have less intense post-traumatic stress disorder. This may be because their bigger hippocampi protect them from stress better. It may also be that stress itself, shrinks the hippocampus. In fact, the data suggest that both are probably true.

Having a genetically endowed hippocampus probably puts you at somewhat of an advantage when it comes to handling stress. But learning to manage stress can probably also protect your hippocampus and help you age with a little more cognitive grace.

In this new study, researchers recruited 109 older adults and tested their level of physical fitness using a treadmill, measuring aerobic fitness, heart rate and blood pressure. After that, the participants all had their brains scanned in an MRI machine, allowing researchers to measure the size of their hippocampus.

When they compared the two types of measures, low and behold, increased aerobic fitness correlated with increased hippocampal volume, a bigger hippocampus. But the researchers didn’t stop there. They also tested all the participants on spatial memory tasks.

Using a computer, dots were flashed on the screen and the subjects had to remember where those dots came up, monitoring one, two or three dots at the same time. Again, the older adults with better fitness measures performed better on this test.

The researchers believe that the reason they do better on the tests is because they have bigger hippocampi, and the reason they have bigger hippocampi is because they are more fit.

This all make sense, knowing what we know about how exercise boosts brain function. However, we still have to point out that this is a retrospective study. This means you can’t say for sure that increased fitness caused increased hippocampal size and increased performance on memory tests. There may be other factors.

Still, when you look at this new study in the context of all the other studies showing that exercise is good for the brain, it sure seems to be true. This is one more piece in the mind-body connection puzzle. Every day research comes out making it clearer and clearer that the health of your body influences the health of your brain. So if you want to stay sharp in those older years don’t just rely on crossword puzzles in the daily paper to get you there – unless you’re taking a brisk walk down to the corner store to pick it up.

Reference:
Hippocampus. 2009 Jan 2. [Epub ahead of print]

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By Paul R. Burghardt, PhD

Surfing around the free movies section that comes with my cable subscription I found a documentary on HBO titled: “Wide Awake” by Alan Berliner. I wanted to blog on it for a few reasons. First, it was a well produced documentary. Second, it deals with sub-optimal-sleep which we discuss in our book, BrainFit for Life, and is a looming problem in many societies. Finally, it has an underlying theme regarding the need for balancing life and setting priorities.

Berliner, a filmmaker, has suffered from insomnia for several decades. This documentary chronicles his efforts to understand roots of his sub-optimal-sleep, highlighting his angst and frustration regarding its impact on his function during “normal” daytime hours. In addition, he is clearly concerned that his sleep problems will be inherited by his newly born son.

He uses montage’s of old footage coupled with current footage of himself and his family that gave me a feel for how his thoughts and feelings (as I imagine) interact with his struggle to optimize his sleep and find better balance in his life.

One of the more entertaining sections of the film is where Berliner, who allegedly never uses caffeine, drinks a cup of coffee as an experiment. What ensues is a pretty entertaining segment where you see his alertness continue to increase while he fervently drains his cup of coffee. The final shot has him essentially shaking the last drops out of the cup into his mouth, after which he takes the camera man on a caffeine-fueled tour of his editing studio.

From a cinematic standpoint (in my humble opinion as a sub-amateur film critic), this film was put together very nicely. Stepping back to survey the whole story, however begs the question of whether his insomnia really is a problem?

You could probably take a yes or no vantage point depending on what you would define as a “problem.”

Ok, let’s say it is a problem, but why? Well, Berliner believes that his sleep pattern is disrupting his ability to function. That’s a pretty good definition, by all rights, but is it fair? He is an award-winning director, which would suggest that he actually performs above normal in that aspect of his life. It happens that the time he is most creative and productive is during the night. So it may be that he is more of an “owl” than a “lark” and he should adjust his life accordingly.

That might lead us to say that it’s not a problem. However, what is best for his creativity, and therefore his job, might not be the best for the other aspects of his life. This theme appears to pop-up when viewing his interactions with his family and his desire to keep his son from experiencing the same types of sleep problems.

Even if you don’t struggle with sub-optimal-sleep this movie is probably worth watching from a cinematic standpoint and as a subtle example highlighting the need for balance in one’s life. Check it out below.

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By Simon J. Evans, PhD

The benefits of green tea have received a lot of press lately. Several studies have shown that green tea drinkers perform well in several measures of health, including some of those relative to brain fitness. But can green tea also help you lose weight? Researchers asked that question recently and found some interesting results.

A study published in a recent edition of the Journal of Nutrition, evaluated exercise-induced weight loss in 132 overweight and obese adults who also drank green tea extracts during their weight loss regime. All adults in this study participated in exercise programs and half were given a caffeinated beverage with green tea extracts (catechins, pronounced kat-i-kins) while the other half drank equal amounts of a caffeinated beverage without the green tea.

All participants in the study lost weight due to the exercise program, however those drinking the green tea extract containing catechins lost a little more. The interesting thing about this is that the fat lost by the green tea extract drinkers was specifically belly-fat. Other areas of fat loss were fairly even between the two groups.

Why is this important? Recent research has discovered that belly fat is particularly bad for your health. Excess belly fat releases hormones that have all kinds of negative effects, including reducing sensitivity to insulin, which is a major problem. Insulin sensitivity controls many aspects of brain and body health, including risk for diabetes, and maybe even depression and late-life dementia.

So it’s very cool that the catechins found in green tea helped folks in this study lose more belly fat in response to their exercise programs since it will probably feedback on many other systems in their bodies to improve their health. In fact, those in the green tea group showed better improvement in measures of triglycerides and total cholesterol as well.

Some societies have known about the health benefits of green tea for centuries and use it as a regular part of their diet. Western science is really just catching up to explain why this beverage is a powerful component of your overall approach to health. And the best part is there are no real side-effects, as long as you don’t overdo it. Remember, it is a caffeinated beverage so still should be drunk in moderation.

If you’re a regular coffee or black tea drinker, consider replacing an occasional cup with some green tea instead. Coffee and black tea themselves have been shown to have some health benefit, when used in moderate amounts of a cup or two per day, but green-tea seems to beat them both for overall health. As in any health plan, the enjoyment factor is huge, so don’t try to adopt strategies that you really don’t like. But if you’re not a regular green tea drinker, why not try a cup or two to see how you feel.

Before signing off of this particular article, it must be pointed out that everyone in this study was exercising, and green tea just made the exercise a bit more effective. You’re not likely to lose that body fat with green tea alone, you still have to move.

Reference:
Journal of Nutrition (2009) 139:264-270

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By Simon J. Evans, PhD

The head bone connected to the neck bone, The neck bone connected to the back bone, The back bone connected to the thigh bone . . . Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk aroun’, Dem bones, dem bones, gonna walk aroun’. . . remember that song? It’s a basic principle. Your body systems are all connected up. So it should be no surprise that the health of your brain is connected to the health of your body and a new study revealed just how much.

We’ve known for some time that fit people feel better, and more recently discovered that they may also think better. Canadian researchers took this to the test by looking at how the physical fitness level 50 – 90 year old women predicted their cognitive abilities. Their research will be published in the March 2009 edition of the journal, Neurobiology of Aging.

The research team recruited 42 healthy post-menopausal women who were free of chronic illness and medication. They then evaluated their level of physical fitness using a standard exercise test and compared fitness levels to cerebral blood flow (blood supply to the brain) and a battery of cognitive performance tests.

Not surprisingly, women who reported getting regular exercise were more fit than women who were sedentary. But let’s explore for a minute what fitness actually means to these women. First, fitness significantly predicted the cerbrovascular health of these women, which is a fancy way to say that fit women had a better blood supply to their brains.

What does that mean? Basically, it means their brains can perform better and they proved it by doing better on all kinds of cognitive tests, including cognitive speed, perception, verbal ability and executive function. Even if you don’t know what all of these test measure, understand that the physically active women out-performed the sedentary women on every cognitive test the researchers through at them.

We all know that exercise helps our heart and arteries work better. For some people, that is motivation enough. However, only about 1-3 adults get any regular exercise so maybe we need a bigger motivator. Understanding that physical fitness will also make your brain work better might be the driver that many people need. While nobody wants diabetes and heart disease, people may work a little harder to stave off cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease and that’s what makes studies like this important.

Your brain uses up to 20% of the oxygen that you breathe. How does it get from your lungs to those brain circuits that remember where you put your keys? Answer: your blood supply and your neurovascular system. This new study shows that the more fit you are the more efficiently you will get blood to your brain and the smarter you will be.

Studies like this may not provide us with earth shattering revelations. The results are not surprising, but they give us evidence that how we choose to live effects how we think and feel. And evidence leads to recommendations, which lead to policy changes, which hopefully, someday will lead to health care systems that promote and reward you to stay fit. So next time you’re struggling with whether or not to get off the couch and go for a walk, think about your brain – while you still can.

Reference:
Brown et al. Neurobiology of Aging (2009) In Press

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Paul R. Burghardt, PhD

A substantial number of Veterans will return from Iraq and Afghanistan over the next several years. This transition back to civilian life will not be trivial, and many of these individuals will need support to deal with the psychological stress they encountered while they were deployed.

An interesting study came out of a research group in Taiwan that could be used as a window into how we, the general public, can help our veterans as they return home. A study by Chung and colleagues in the Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics investigated which factors were related to cognitive and emotional health in older veterans.

The authors looked at a number of lifestyle factors and measured the level of depression and cognitive function in older veterans. What they found wasn’t exceptionally surprising, but illustrates the importance of working to build up your brain-fitness reserve.

Veterans who could read, were married, and had children or family, who didn’t smoke, avoided fatty foods, exercised for 30 minutes a day, and engaged in a hobby, had higher levels of cognitive function. The most important aspects for maintaining a higher level of cognitive function were level of depression, education, and being able to read. Depression plays a substantial role in both brain and general health, and is believed to worsen the cognitive decline in people with dementia. The prevention or effective management of depression will be an extremely important task for veterans.

Literacy is an important aspect of maintaining cognitive health. We’ve known for some time people with more education tend to have less risk of developing dementia, which was also true in this study. However, the most important aspect to education is continually challenging yourself to learn, not obtaining a degree per se.

An interesting aspect of this study was the large number of veterans who were illiterate. It’s probably obvious that illiteracy severely limits a person’s options for learning. If you couldn’t read, you wouldn’t be reading this article right now. I know it sounds obvious, but imagine all the things you read as you go about your daily tasks. Street signs, ordering food, that motion sickness-inducing news ticker at the bottom of your favorite 24-hour cable news channel. You’d miss out on a lot.

This report should really drive home how critical lifestyle choices, like diet, exercise and mental activity, can be for brain health particularly for people who have undergone substantial psychological stress. In addition, the role for social support cannot be understated. Just having someone there to interact with, help you through tough times, or just listen, is invaluable. Most creatures need social interaction, and humans are no exception. When times are tough it’s nice to know you’re not alone.

Reference:
Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics. 2008 Dec 4

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