Quote: (12-19-2012 04:41 PM)Moma Wrote:
How can physical activity do more for your brain?
Well, from a quick search:
http://www.livescience.com/6340-exercise...brain.html:
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During the fifth week, the monkeys completed cognitive tests in which they had to choose which covered objects contained a food reward underneath. Monkeys that exercised were twice as fast at this task as those who didn't exercise.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12595152:
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Three groups of studies were constituted on the basis of the type of exercise protocol employed. Each group was then evaluated in terms of information-processing theory. It was concluded that submaximal aerobic exercise performed for periods up to 60 min facilitate specific aspects of information processing;
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15159540
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We present evidence that voluntary exercise can prime adult dorsal root ganglion neurons for increased axonal regeneration through a neurotrophin-dependent mechanism. Dorsal root ganglion neurons showed an increase in neurite outgrowth when cultured from animals that had undergone 3 or 7 days of exercise compared with sedentary animals. Neurite length over 18-22 h in culture correlated directly with the distance that animals ran. The exercise-conditioned animals also showed enhanced regrowth of axons after an in vivo nerve crush injury. Sensory ganglia from the 3- and 7-day-exercised animals contained higher brain-derived neurotrophic factor, neurotrophin 3, synapsin I, and GAP43 mRNA levels than those from sedentary animals.
Given that studies of brain-game effects on the brain are inconclusive, I'm going for the exercise option.