Applied mathematics

Exercise and brain functionedit | edit source

In the long term, exercise is beneficial to the brain by:

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  increasing the blood and oxygen flow to the brain
  
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  increasing growth factors that help create new nerve cells[30] and promote synaptic plasticity[31]
  
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  increasing chemicals in the brain that help cognition, such as dopamine, glutamate, norepinephrine, and serotonin[32]
  

A 2008 review of cognitive enrichment therapies (strategies to slow or reverse cognitive decline) concluded that "physical activity, and aerobic exercise in particular, enhances older adults’ cognitive function".[33]