Abstract
Exercise is a powerful tool for healthy aging of the body and the mind. Many scientific studies have shown the positive benefits of exercise on the brain. These benefits include maintenance of brain volume in certain areas dedicated to executive function, which is involved in memory, attention, and performing day-to-day tasks. Keeping up with exercise and staying physically fit into the later years of life may protect against the pitfalls of aging, such as cognitive decline, memory loss, and dementia. As gatekeepers of mobility and exercise, the musculoskeletal clinician plays a vital role in helping athletes and active people of all ages and skill levels maintain their mental capacity for memory and thought via physical activity’s influence on the hippocampus and physical brain structure.
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Wright, V.J., Zhao, E. (2018). Structural Brain Benefits of Maintained Fitness. In: Wright, V., Middleton, K. (eds) Masterful Care of the Aging Athlete. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16223-2_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16223-2_3
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