Kramer & Mammen on Exercise

Professor Arthur Kramer from university of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana gave a lecture at Loyola University Chicago on November 20^th on his research done on the effects of physical activity and exercise on the brain and cognition.  With his years of research he has found that aerobic if strongly associated with better functional connectivity in the brain.  This is due to increased brain plasticity caused by exercise.  Therefore, aerobic exercise can help decrease diseases that result in a decline in cognition, such as the progression of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.   It also helps increase brain volumes in regions which normally decrease in volume with age, such as the hippocampus.  Kramer also mentioned how benefits lie in decreases of anxiety and depression, and increases in self-esteem, which are all innately advantages to one’s well-being.

Science Daily further explored this phenomenon by studying an experiment done by PhD candidate George Mammen.  Mammen published a review in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine when he found that moderate exercise can prevent depressive episodes.  This study stands out from the rest because it was the first longitudinal study that actually looked at exercise and mental health changes in the same individuals over the course of 26 years.  Mammen notes that genetic factors do play a large role, but we can influence those factors and their effects by controlling other aspects of our lives, such as physical exercise.  We need to consider exercise as a preventive measure so we can wean our society off prescription medicines.  For example, if a person has a long standing family history of depression in older age, they can be encouraged to exercise moderately starting a young age in order to prevent the onset of depressive episodes.

1.       George Mammen, Guy Faulkner. Physical Activity and the Prevention of Depression. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2013; 45 (5): 649 DOI:10.1016/j.amepre.2013.08.001

2.       University of Toronto (2013, October 28). Moderate exercise not only treats, but prevents depression. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 30, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­/releases/2013/10/131028163003.htm