Exercise Benefits Brains, Changes Blood Flow in Older Adults, Study Finds

A study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found exercise training changes brain blood flow and improves cognitive performance in older adults in unexpected ways, reports ScienceDaily . The researchers learned that exercise was connected to improved brain function in a group of adults diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and a decrease in the blood flow in key brain areas. "A reduction in blood flow may seem a little contrary to what you would assume happens after going on an exercise program," says University of Maryland School of Public Health Professor J. Carson Smith. "But after 12 weeks of exercise, adults with MCI experienced decreases in cerebral blood flow. They simultaneously improved significantly in their scores on cognitive tests." Smith notes the brains of persons starting to experience early-stage memory loss are in "crisis mode," and may attempt to compensate for the deterioration by increasing cerebral blood flow. Higher cerebral blood flow is typically considered beneficial to brain function, yet there is evidence suggesting it may in fact signify further memory loss in those diagnosed with MCI. The study's findings might be able to reduce this compensatory blood flow and improve cognitive efficiency in those in the earliest early stages of Alzheimer's.