Experts suggest that the number of humans experiencing the cognitive declines associated with aging may reach epidemic proportions by the year 2040 – as many as 84 million people worldwide. The good news is that research has indicated two promising avenues for improving human brain functioning.
In a recent edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers studied the relationship between receiving instruction in particular thinking skills and long-term thinking abilities. The $15 million study was partially funded by the National Institute of Aging, and observed the effects of hour-long classes with exercises in speed identification, memory training and reasoning on nearly 3,000 American adults, with an average age of 73. After just ten education sessions, scientists found that the benefits extended for as many as five years. Some of the group received new lessons throughout the course of the study, and the correlation between improved brain function and this group was even higher.
In another study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists discovered that exercise lead to increased cerebral blood flow, which could lead to better cognitive functioning. Based upon tests where mice actually grew new brain cells as a result of an increased volume of blood to the brain, researchers studied the effects of exercise on the human brain, paying particular attention to part of the hippocampus, the area of the brain associated with age-related declines in cognition. Based upon these positive findings, the researchers hope that their work will eventually lead to recommended set of exercises that will help treat memory loss and prevent further memory degradation.
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