A follow-up study published in 2015 found that for both
healthy older people and patients with MCI, exercise
increased the size of the cortex, the outer layer of the brain
that shrinks dramatically in late-stage Alzheimer’s disease.
In a very simplistic metaphor, the cortex can be considered
the brain’s hard drive, where memories are stored after
being input by the hippocampus, the brain’s keyboard.
Participants who showed the greatest improvements in their
fitness had the most growth in the cortical layer. Studies like
this are key because MCI is considered a critical stage of
cognitive decline that can lead to Alzheimer’s disease or
other forms of dementia.
The Metabolic Enhancer
No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of
physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old
without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is
capable.
–SOCRATES, CIRCA 400 BCWhile aerobic activity is the chief way to fortify the brain
with new brain cells, anaerobic exercise is the best way to
keep those cells healthy and metabolically efficient.
Unlike aerobic exercise, which can potentially be
sustained for hours (particularly low- to moderate-intensity
varieties), anaerobic modes of metabolism are experienced