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 A GROUP of inactive seniors here who started on an exercise regime reported startling improvements both physically and mentally after just three months. A project found that the participants did better in memory, attention and language skills, had lower stress hormone levels and felt happier. “We were looking for concrete ways for people to age successfully,” said Dr Steven Graham of the Clinical Imaging Research Centre at the National University of Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.
Much of his work studying brain activity uses functional magnetic resonance imaging – a multi-disciplinary technique that allows the brain to be imaged during learning or cognition. “The anecdotal benefits of exercise are well recognised, but the question I want to answer is, if it’s exercise which helps
people age well, or just that people who are ageing well have more time and energy to exercise,” he explained. A hint came from mice studies. When mice exercise, the hippocampus – the region in the brain associated with memory – grows larger, and certain proteins also increase.
In people, there are relatively few brain imaging studies, he said, but some have also indicated that brain volume did increase after exercise. His team wanted to tease out the effects of exercise in greater detail, so it gathered a group of 36 people aged about 60 years old for various activities over three months. They either did aerobic and strength building exercise for an hour three times a week, stretching and toning for the same period, or nothing at all. Their diets remained unchanged. The participants then went through a battery of tests to study changes in brain function and cognition, mental health and changes in certain hormone levels.
The $1 million study, which took three years, showed some heartening results. Of the three groups, only the one which did the aerobic exercise showed more brain activity in the hippocampus, and did significantly better in several forms of memory, language and attention tests than before. Lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol were found in this group, which after three months also reported feeling happier. In fact, the 12 weeks of exercise had the same effect on them as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors – a common class of anti-depressants. Like those pills, exercise managed to decrease the activity of the amygdala, an almond-shaped group of brain cells that processes information about emotional events and may be linked to depression.
Members also had significant fitness improvements as well as weight loss as reflected in lowered Body Mass Index. The aerobics group were clear winners in every aspect. “While the placebo effects of stretching helped improve self-perceived mood in that group, there were few benefits compared to more intense aerobic exercise,” he said. Dr Graham is currently trying to fine-tune the best exercises to achieve the greatest benefits – and how long people should do them. He is working with organizations such as the People’s Association to spread the message. He said: “It’s nice to see how our research impacts real people.”
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