Researchers at the University of Iowa examined how exercise affects the brain and its blood supply, noting that benefits accumulate over time. The study findings appeared in the Journal of Applied Physiology (JAPPL).
The study involved twenty-eight adults aged 40 to 64 who had mild hypertension or high blood pressure and led largely sedentary lives. After assessing each participant’s health, the group was split into two. For three months, the first group engaged in supervised aerobic exercise, while the second group served as the control. The control participants were instructed to maintain a healthy diet and increase activity as they saw fit.
Researchers collected baseline and post-intervention data on cardiorespiratory fitness and cognitive performance. They also measured the speed of blood flow in the brain’s arteries for every participant, to gauge changes in cerebral perfusion.
At the end of the 12-week program, those who trained demonstrated improvements in working memory and endurance. The study also noted a modest increase in the rate of fast blood flow within the brain’s arteries, though the rise was small compared with overall changes in brain activity.
The authors emphasized that these results do not imply fitness offers no brain benefits. Rather, they suggest that the brain’s vascular network requires time to adapt to training. The researchers proposed that achieving the strongest possible gains in cerebral blood flow may require longer training periods than 12 weeks.
Earlier work raised questions about the brain’s role in toxin removal during sleep, and this study adds to the growing understanding that physical activity interacts with brain health in ways that evolve over time. The takeaways point to the importance of sustained exercise routines for older adults seeking cognitive and vascular benefits, especially those managing mild hypertension. Continued investigation is needed to determine how variations in intensity, duration, and frequency might optimize brain perfusion and cognitive function over the long term. Attribution: Journal of Applied Physiology (JAPPL).