Pooling information from dozens of experiments let researchers present whose brains profit probably the most from train.
We all know train is sweet for us, however that also leaves loads of questions. How a lot train? Who advantages probably the most? And when in our lives? New analysis led by University of Pittsburgh psychologists swimming pools information from dozens of research to reply these questions, displaying that older adults might be able to forestall declines in a sure sort of reminiscence by sticking to common train.
“Everyone always asks, ‘How much should I be exercising? What’s the bare minimum to see improvement?’ ” mentioned lead writer Sarah Aghjayan, a Clinical and Biological Health Psychology PhD scholar within the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. “From our study, it seems like exercising about three times a week for at least four months is how much you need to reap the benefits in episodic memory.”
Episodic reminiscence is the type that offers with occasions that occurred to you previously. It’s additionally one of many first to say no with age. “I usually like to talk about the first time you got behind the wheel of a car,” mentioned Aghjayan. “So you might remember where you were, how old you were, who was in the passenger seat explaining things to you, that feeling of excitement.”
Exercise that will get the guts pumping has proven promise in growing mind well being, and experiments in mice present that it improves reminiscence — however research trying on the identical hyperlink in people have come out combined.
Seeking readability within the muddy waters of the scientific literature, the staff pored over 1,279 research, finally narrowing them down to simply 36 that met particular standards. Then they used specialised software program and no small variety of Excel spreadsheets to rework the information right into a kind the place the completely different research may very well be instantly in contrast.
That work paid off once they discovered that pooling collectively these 36 research was sufficient to indicate that for older adults, train can certainly profit their reminiscence. The staff, together with Aghjayan’s advisor Kirk Erickson within the Department of Psychology and different researchers from Pitt, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Iowa, published their results in the journal Communications Medicine on February 17, 2022.
Past analyses looking at connections between exercise and memory didn’t find one, but Aghjayan and her team took several extra steps to give them the best chance of finding a link if one did exist. They limited their search to particular groups and age brackets as well as a specific kind of rigorous experimental setup. Another key was focusing specifically on episodic memory, which is supported by a part of the brain that’s known to benefit from exercise.
“When we combine and merge all this data, it allows us to examine almost 3,000 participants,” Aghjayan said. “Each individual study is very important: They all contribute to science in a meaningful way.” Individual studies, however, may fail to find patterns that actually exist because of a lack of resources to run a big enough experiment. The studies individually couldn’t find a link between exercise and memory — it took looking at the whole body of research to bring the pattern into focus.
With that much larger pool of participants, the team was able to show a link between exercise and episodic memory, but also was able to start to answer more specific questions about who benefits and how.
“We found that there were greater improvements in memory among those who are age 55 to 68 years compared to those who are 69 to 85 years old — so intervening earlier is better,” Aghjayan said. The team also found the greatest effects of exercise in those who hadn’t yet experienced any cognitive decline, and in studies where participants exercised consistently several times a week.
There are still questions left to be answered. The team’s analysis couldn’t answer how the intensity of exercise affects the memory benefits, and there’s plenty to learn about the mechanism behind the link. But the implications for public health are clear: Exercise is an accessible way older adults can stave off memory declines, benefiting themselves, their caretakers and the healthcare system, Aghjayan said.
“You just need a good pair of walking shoes, and you can get out there and move your body.”
Reference: “Aerobic exercise improves episodic memory in late adulthood: a systematic review and meta-analysis” 17 February 2022, Communications Medicine.
DOI: 10.1038/s43856-022-00079-7
The papers’ coauthors include Kirk Erickson, Chaeryon Kang, Xueping Zhou, Chelsea Stillman, Shannon Donofry, Thomas W Kamarck, Anna L Marsland and Scott H Fraundorf at the University of Pittsburgh, Themistokles Bournias at Carnegie Mellon University and Michelle Voss at the University of Iowa.
