Exercise and the

Brain
Karen Lindgren, Ph.D.

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

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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 regions elite provider of
services to people with intellectual and developmental
disabilities and brain injuries.
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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
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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?
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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
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The link should be

clear
Our brain is a physical organ
Our brain is a thinking organ

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
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The brain: physical

organ
Geography of the brain
Brain basics
Neurons
Blood vessels
Neurotransmitters
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The brain: a thinking

organ
What is thinking?
Cognition refers to any mental
process

What is cognition?
Areas of cognition include:
Attention
Concentration
Sensory skills
Motor skills

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What is cognition?
Areas of cognition include:
Language
Visual Skills
Memory
Problem solving/judgment moral
reasoning

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Brain Geography

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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

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Neuroplasticity
What changes when we learn?
Neurons connect with other neurons
Synapses strength changes with
learning
More synapses form between
neurons

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What is exercise?
Types
Cardiovascular
Weight training (resistance training)
Intensity
Active lifestyle
Light
Vigorous
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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
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Pituitary Gland
Located in brain, limbic system
Influences:
o Thyroid: neck
o Adrenal: kidneys

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What happens when we

exercise?
Hormones respond
Pituitary gland regulates thyroid
gland
Thyroid: releases hormones
Increase heart rate and blood
pressure
Regulate body temperature
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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,
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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
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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
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strength and frequency of heart

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

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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 of reporting cognitive skill varies
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(e.g.,
MMSE screen, neuropsych, presence of

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
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Simple connections
Exercise improves blood flow to the
brain
Is increased blood flow related to
improved cognition?

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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 %
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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 of
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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

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

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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
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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 scored consistently on tests each
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year

Exercise promotes
healthy aging
Normal Aging
More specifically, women in 70s 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.
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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.
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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
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3. Archives of Neurology, 2011

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
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Exercise promotes
healthy aging
you can make a very compelling
argument for exercise as a diseasemodifying strategy to prevent
dementia and mild cognitive
impairment, and for favorably
modifying these processes once they
have developed.
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-- J. Eric Ahlskog, M.D., Ph.D., neurologist,

Exercise promotes healthy

aging
Other Neurologic Disease
Parkinsons 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
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short term or long term (i.e., do you need

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, 4 days per week, with a trainer. Control
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group:
10 individuals performed supervised
stretching with low heart rate.

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 bodys use of insulin,
glucose, and cortisol, which differed
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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).
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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 brains neurons
42 o
Grow more quickly, develop stronger
connections

Mood Benefits
Exercise improves stress tolerance:
Rats assigned to 4 groups6:
o
o
o
o

Engaged in voluntary running

Given antidepressants
Both
Neither

Rats then underwent a 2-day forced

swimming procedure
6. California State University, 2001
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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
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baseline.

Mood Benefits
Improved mood improves
cognition:
Exercise has an antidepressant
effect
Antidepressant effect of running was
associate with more cell growth in
hippocampus9
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9. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, 2010

Does exercise foster

neuroplasticity?
Exercise increased growth factors in brain
making it easier to grow new connections10
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)
10. UCLA, 2011
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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
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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

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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
per49session had little impact

Does exercise foster

neuroplasticity?
Brain-derived neurotrophic factors
(BDNF)
fertilizer of the brains neurons
o Grow more quickly, develop stronger
connections

Associated with improved cognition,

mood
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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
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o Increased neurotrophic factors at 1, 30 and

60 minutes after endurance training

14. American College of Sports Medicine, 2010

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
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Yoga is cognitive and

physical
Yoga, mind/body connection is
good for us
Yoga decreases depression,
anxiety, hypertension, stress
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Yoga is cognitive and

physical
Yoga: the research
Enhanced effects of meditation
alone
Study of novice participants in a
12-week yoga training program15
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15. Journal 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
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Changes in amygdala, sensorimotor

Conclusions
Cognition is complex
MIND-MOOD-BRAIN all
connected to health

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

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

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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:
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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

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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
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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!)
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Special Information:
Brain Injury
Exercise after concussion is not
recommended:
REST IS RECOMMENDED

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Special Information:
Brain Injury
For all these reasons, exercise is
important for long term recovery
from a brain injury
Promotes
Promotes
Promotes
Promotes
health
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Promotes

mood
stable sleep patterns
physical health
self-efficacy, improved views of
neurogenesis in animal models

Special Information:
Brain Injury
For all these reasons, exercise is
important for long term recovery
from a brain injury
Promotes
Promotes
Promotes
Promotes
health
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Promotes

mood
stable sleep patterns
physical health
self-efficacy, improved views of
neurogenesis in animal models

Questions?

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Thank you for joining us!

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