
Exercise Increases Brain Size - myth_drannon
http://neurosciencenews.com/exercise-brain-size-7928
======
SubiculumCode
This is a met-analysis. The majority of available hippocampal data was
processed using FreeSurfer, an outdated and generally inaccurate segmentation
method for the hippocampus (Lee et al., 2015; although FreeSurfer is good for
cortical thickness and surface estimation). However, given large potential
changes due to age-related atrophy, that particular method might be sensitive
enough in aggregate.

I've seen lots of older brains in the MRI, and it is not pretty. A lot of
atrophy is probably due to cardiovascular-related disease and degeneration.
Seeing enough of those brains finally got me off my chair and jogging. I feel
great because of it too.

~~~
jonnycomputer
cardiovascular disease causes brain atrophy? whats the mechanism supposed to
be?

~~~
adventured
Blood flow restriction to the extremities, reduced oxygen supply, cerebral
hypoxia, slow-motion brain tissue death.

------
moh_maya
Title is a little misleading; from the article:

“Our data showed that, rather than actually increasing the size of the
hippocampus per se, the main ‘brain benefits’ are due to aerobic exercise
slowing down the deterioration in brain size. In other words, exercise can be
seen as a maintenance program for the brain"

Though, the article also says:

"Overall, the results – published in the journal NeuroImage– showed that,
while exercise had no effect on total hippocampal volume, it did significantly
increase the size of the left region of the hippocampus in humans."

It's a meta review of other articles, with all the caveats such meta reviews
come with.

------
ezYZ
Translated from sci-hype-speak: Aerobic exercise can help _maintain_ brain
size after age 60.

 _" [T]his meta-analysis found no effects of exercise on total hippocampal
volume, but did find that exercise interventions retained left hippocampal
volume significantly more than control conditions."_

[http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811917...](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811917309138)

------
spodek
The title normalizes inactivity, which I prefer to consider normal, making
exercise abnormal.

Everyone is free to define normal for him or herself, but I'd normalize
activity and say lack of exercise atrophies the brain.

Logically the same, but motivates me differently.

~~~
squidfood
I read it as normalizing the null hypothesis, which is that exercise _doesn
't_ increase brain size.

------
slowmovintarget
E=MC^2 Move more, be more.

Granted, the article gives you more than a bumper sticker.

~~~
pharrington
You lose more energy while exercising than while sedentary.

~~~
mcgarnagle
That's short sighted.

Work out more = eat more.

Overtime your metabolism goes up. Then you eat even more. Since energy can't
be created or destroyed, you're technically just letting it pass through you
–in and out. Since over time, the amount of energy going through your body
increases, I'd argue that you gain more energy, both in and out through
exercise.

