Aerobic activity 'helps keep brain young'.Byline: ANI Washington, June 30 (ANI): Aerobic activity may help keep the brain young, says a new research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public, coeducational, research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Also known as The University of North Carolina, Carolina, North Carolina, or simply UNC School of Medicine. In the study published July 9 in the American Journal of Neuroradiology neuroradiology /neu·ro·ra·di·ol·o·gy/ (-ra?de-ol´ah-je) radiology of the nervous system. neu·ro·ra·di·ol·o·gy n. 1. The branch of radiology that deals with the nervous system. , physically active elderly people showed healthier cerebral blood vessels. Researchers led by Elizabeth Bullitt, M.D., Van L. Weatherspoon Distinguished Professor of neurosurgery neurosurgery /neu·ro·sur·gery/ (noor´o-sur?jer-e) surgery of the nervous system. neu·ro·sur·ger·y n. Surgery on any part of the nervous system. , used non-invasive magnetic resonance (MR) angiography to examine the number and shape of blood vessels in the brains of physically active elderly people, 7 men and 7 women, ages 60 to 80. The study subjects were equally divided into 2 groups. The high activity group reported participating in an aerobic activity for a minimum of 180 minutes per week for the past 10 consecutive years, and the low activity group told investigators they had no history of regular exercise and currently spent less than 90 minutes a week in any physical activity. Aerobically active subjects exhibited more small-diameter vessels with less tortuosity tortuosity n. 1. The quality or condition of being tortuous; twistedness or crookedness. 2. A bent or twisted part, passage, or thing. , or twisting, than the less active group, exhibiting a vessel pattern similar to younger adults. The authors, who were sponsored in part by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, identified significant differences in the left and right middle cerebral artery Noun 1. middle cerebral artery - one of two branches of the internal carotid artery; divides into three branches arteria cerebri, cerebral artery - any of the arteries supplying blood to the cerebral cortex regions confirmed by more than one statistical analysis. The brain's blood vessels naturally narrow and become more tortuous with advancing age, but the study showed the cerebrovascular cer·e·bro·vas·cu·lar adj. Relating to the blood supply to the brain, particularly with reference to pathological changes. cerebrovascular pertaining to the blood vessels of the cerebrum or brain. patterns of active patients appeared "younger" than those of relatively inactive subjects. The brains of these less active patients had increased tortuosity produced by vessel elongation and wider expansion curves. (ANI) Copyright 2009 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency. (ANI) - All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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