Brain Health Blog

Physical Exercise and Brain Blood Flow

By Gregory Kellett, a cognitive neuroscience researcher at SFSU and science writer for Lumos Labs .

Recent findings have linked exercising regularly with increased cerebral blood flow and a greater number of blood vessels in the brain.

While it has been shown in the past that aerobic exercise might reduce cognitive decline, this study demonstrated a possible explanation: changes in the brain’s blood vessels and blood flow.

The researchers recruited 12 healthy adults, age 60 to 76. Six of the adults participated in aerobic exercise for three or more hours per week over 10 years, and six exercised less than one hour per week. All of the volunteers underwent MRI to determine cerebral blood flow and MR angiography to depict blood vessels in the brain.

Compared to the inactive group, the people who exercised regularly had more small blood vessels carrying blood through the brain, and the blood flowed in a more normal pattern.

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9 Comments

  1. Mohamed
    Posted January 31, 2009 at 3:48 am | Permalink

    Could you advise on brain haemorrage victims and relevant recoverey methodes.

    Thanks

  2. Steve
    Posted January 31, 2009 at 3:22 pm | Permalink

    Could you advise on TBI (Lt. Temporal-expressive/receptive aphasia) plasticity secondary to regular Lumosity excercising… Thanx,
    Steve

  3. Posted February 2, 2009 at 8:25 pm | Permalink

    Hey Steve and Mohamed,

    We unfortunately cannot advise on specific medical conditions. That is for your doctor to do.

  4. Stephen Dolle
    Posted February 6, 2009 at 12:08 am | Permalink

    Yes, the increased blood flow is why caffeine and coffee gives us the brain boost that it does. As for exercise, if you have ambulatory, age, or health issues that limit the amount and types of exercise, you can gain some of this benefit by doing floor and sitting exercises like stretching and yoga. The increased blood flow to the brain as we lay down gives you a head start of sorts, compared to say running. And for those with hydrocephalus and CNS shunt, exercising can help to reduce complaints associated with shunt overdrainage.

  5. kevin
    Posted March 11, 2009 at 3:07 am | Permalink

    Don’t forget to add the nutrients. The benefits of increased blood flow is the access to essential fules the blood provides. Get that nutrition piece in to optimize your brain function.

    kevin

  6. Posted March 12, 2009 at 11:44 pm | Permalink

    Good point Kevin.

  7. Rebecca
    Posted April 14, 2009 at 6:27 pm | Permalink

    Very Good Points, all. Thank you, just discovered this site. Really glad that I did! I go tomorrow for the results of my EEG with a nurologist, please forgive if I’ve misspelled it!? Small problem with memory, I believe may be due to one of the meds I take for Scoliosis (curvature of the spine). But, as that hurts a great deal, and they help even more, I’m not yet willing to give any of them up, although I’m most careful and frugal about the taking of them! Good luck to all and My Best Wishes, Rebecca in Tucson, AZ

  8. Jessicaflick
    Posted May 10, 2009 at 2:14 pm | Permalink

    thans for the tip

  9. June D Stevenson
    Posted October 28, 2009 at 8:01 am | Permalink

    I am unable to sign in,

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