Compared to some people who live a motionless lifestyle, a new study suggests that persons or for older adults who take more steps by either walking or jogging can be skilled in memory tasks way better.
The study that was published in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society shows a comprehensive detail and information for fighting memory decline brought on by aging and neurodegenerative dementias, such as Alzheimer's disease.
The study was led by Scott Hayes, PhD, from Boston University School of Medicine, MA, and associate director of the Neuroimaging Research for Veterans Center, and during their experiment, the team had 29 young adults between the ages of 18-31 and 31 older adults between the ages of 55-82. They have equipped each person with ActiGraph that works like a pedometer.
In previous studies, researchers have used a questionnaire form in conducting their study, but instead of using the same method, Hayes and his team used this method that involves more physical actions which they believe is more accurate since it is a basic factor that needs to be considered for the study.
'Lack of physical activity may negatively impact memory abilities'
In order for the researchers to evaluate the participants' memory, planning and problem-solving skills, they have also gone through some series of neuropsychological testing. After conducting the assessments, the participants were then included in a laboratory experiment which includes recognizing and remembering a people's faces and names simultaneously.
Moreover, as per Medical News Today, during the entire course of the said experiment, the researchers have observed that for those older adults who were able to take more stepson a daily basis, it was found that they tend to perform better on the memory tests compared to those people who opted for a motionless or inactive lifestyle.
The findings obtained from these experiments have shown that for those who aims to maintain a good memory skill as they age; there is still a way to do it. Considering that aging is primarily associated to a decline in executive and episodic memory.
However, Hayes and his colleagues have strongly noted that in order to specifically explore the positive impacts of these physical activities to the brain, more in-depth studies are still required.
