University of Zurich research: Exercise and social activities cause the brain to age more slowly

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The entorhinal cortex is a region of the brain that plays an important role in memory, the University of Zurich (UZH) explained in a statement on Thursday. The cortex, about 3.5 millimeters thick, is part of the cerebral cortex and serves as an interface between the hippocampus and other brain regions involved in memory formation and retrieval.

The thickness of the entorhinal cortex is closely related to memory performance, as UZH researchers were able to show in a study in the journal “Neuroimage”. The thinner the entorhinal cortex, the greater the memory loss.

Scientists examined links between entorhinal cortex thickness, memory performance and leisure activities in cognitively healthy adults over the age of 65 over a seven-year period.

In people who were more physically active and met with friends and family more often at the start of the study, the thickness of the entorhinal cortex, and thus memory performance, decreased less over the seven years. “Physical exercise and active leisure activities with friends and family are therefore important for brain health and may prevent neurodegeneration in later life,” study leader Lutz Jäncke said in the UZH announcement.

It was also shown that higher memory performance at the beginning of the study was associated with a smaller decline. UZH explained that the brain can be exercised like a muscle. (SDA)

Source : Blick