More Evidence to Reinforce " Use It or Lose It, " Even in Later Life

Most older people exercise the body and mind far less than they should; as a consequence some degree of the frailty observed in old age in wealthier parts of the world is preventable, a case of neglect rather than unavoidable outcome. You can't choose not to age, yet, but you can choose to exert yourself in order to make matters better than they would otherwise be. There are plenty of studies to show that, even in very late life, greater levels of mental and physical activity produce benefits. In this paper, the researchers dig deeper to see if certain forms of activity can be tied to specific benefits in cognitive function and physiology, but given the current poor state of health maintenance in the general population, I think it more important as yet another set of evidence to show that "use it or lose it" is very real. The human hippocampus (HC) is affected not only by pathological aging such as in Alzheimer's disease but also by the normal aging process resulting in deficits in memory, learning, and spatial navigation at old age. Magnetic resonance-studies indicate an atrophy rate of the hippocampus and the nearby parahippocampal gyrus of 2-3% per decade, which is further accelerated in the very old age where there is an annual loss of 1% over the age of 70. On the other hand more recent research has shown that the HC counts among the few brain regions with the ability to generate new neurons throughout the lifespan. In animal models physical activity has ...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs