Introduction
Physical activity or exercise is one of those activities that many of us know we should be doing more of! Research continues to emphasise on the wide-ranging benefits of engaging in regular physical activity – including achieving a healthy weight, improving your sleep patterns, managing your cholesterol and blood pressure, improving your mental health and more. What is becoming clearer is that regular physical activity directly benefits brain health. This is of particular interest to dementia researchers who are starting to understand more about the link between physical activity levels and dementia risk.
What is Hippocampus?
Hippocampus is a complex brain structure embedded deep into temporal lobe (hindsight of the brain). It has a major role in learning and memory. This part of brain has been one of the most extensively studied. It is the earliest and most severely affected structure in several neuropsychiatric disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
From the research, it seems there is sufficient evidence to establish a clear link between physical activity and the benefits for cognitive health. In fact, the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER) also suggests that physical activities are essential to prevent dementia. It is now crucial for us to translate this knowledge into actions. We need to ensure all, regardless of age, to have access to programs or information which helps them to do the right physical activity, at the right time, and the right duration, so that they have the best possible outcome for their cognitive health as they get older.
References:
- University of Tasmania – Preventing Dementia, Module 2: Dementia risk – It’s not all in your head
(https://mooc.utas.edu.au/course/content/24-35)
- Hippocampus in health and disease: An overview
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3548359/)
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, 108, 3017-3022
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3041121/)
