Exercise habits have been reported to alter cognitive function, brain activity, cortical volume, and cortical thickness, but few studies have clearly shown their association.In addition, the duration of exercise intervention that has been reported so far is often 6 months or more, and no reliable knowledge has been obtained that covers the behavioral and neurological aspects of the effects of the short-term exercise intervention of 3 months.

　The research team prepares a three-month exercise intervention program.Fifty elderly people (mean age 3 years) were divided into an intervention group that attends the gymnastics class once a week and a waiting group that does not attend the gymnastics class. ) Was investigated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

　As a result, the cognitive performance of the intervention group improved, and the cognitive performance improved as the cortical volume of the prefrontal cortex (middle frontal gyrus) increased.In the waiting group, there was no change in task performance, cortical volume or cortical thickness in the prefrontal cortex, and hippocampal volume decreased.In addition, the more the person who maintains the cognitive performance during the waiting period, the stronger the connection (functional connection) between the regions of the prefrontal cortex during the cognitive task, and the compensatory function to compensate for the cognitive decline is working. It is said that it is considered.

　These results suggest that older people may be able to promote changes in brain and cognitive function and maintain quality of life by continuing regular exercise.In the future, it is necessary to accumulate scientific knowledge on the issues of age limit in the plasticity of the brain including the prefrontal cortex and the method of promoting cognitive function and the plasticity of the brain more effectively.

Paper information:[Cerebral Cortex] Prefrontal Plasticity after a 3-Month Exercise Intervention in Older Adults Relates to Enhanced Cognitive Performance