Tuesday, July 15, 2008
View Point
Being fit may slow Alzheimer Brian atrophy
By Malcolm Ritter
Study suggests getting a lot of exercise may help slow brain shrinkage in people with early Alzheimer's disease. Results showed that participants who were more physically fit had less brain shrinkage than less-fit participants, but they didn't do any better on tests for mental performance. Dr. Jeffery Burns stressed that this is only a starting point for whether exercise and fitness can slow progression of Alzheimer's. While the brain shrinks with age, with Alzheimer the rate doubles.
I chose this article because I think that Alzheimer's disease is a interesting disease. This article relates to the chapter on memory. It states that the memory problems seen in Alzeimer's patient are related to lack of neurons that use acetylcholine (neurotransmitters) and send fibers to the hippo campus and cortex. Drugs that increase the amount of acetycholine can improve memory. Where as exercise helps the blood flow which creates more acetycholine. I believe this study has a big chance of being correct.
chapter 6
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