Couple dancing

Do Younger & Older Brains Respond Differently To Dance?

Aga Burzynska, PhD Dance – as a ritual, therapy, and leisure activity – has been known for thousands of years. Today, dance is increasingly used as therapy for cognitive and neurological disorders such as dementia, multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson’s disease. Yet, the effects of dance training on the brain, such as in young professional dancers, are poorly

group push ups

Which Is Better For The Brain – Long Duration Or Short High Intensity Exercise?

Catherine O’Brien High intensity interval training (HIIT) is a form of exercise that utilizes “repeated bouts of short-to-moderate duration exercise at an intensity of 85-90% of peak oxygen uptake or 90-95% of peak heart rate (HR)” (Kao et al., 2017, p. 1336).  This form of exercise has gained popularity as of late due to its

mature woman working out with trainer

The Brain Effect – Intervals Vs Endurance (Part 5)

Evan Stevens At Forever Fit Science we’ve received a lot of feedback regarding exercise and brain health. Is there a difference between HIIT (shorter, highly strenuous bursts of activity separated by periods of low intensity or rest) and CEE (continuous bout of exercise without a break interval and can be performed at low, moderate, or high

2 women running through the city

4 Areas Of The Brain That Benefit From Exercise

Catherine O’Brien Aerobic exercise has been proven to improve cardiovascular health and diminish the risk of heart disease and stroke. In the last decade, the role of aerobic exercise within cognitive and affective domains has become more prominent. Exercise has been shown to reduce mood disturbance, improve psychological well-being, and improve positive valence associated with

beer

Exercise May Improve Brain Health In Adolescent Binge Drinking

Julia C. Basso, PhD Reporting from the 2017 Annual Society for Neuroscience Meeting Exercise highlight 5: Voluntary exercise restores adolescent binge ethanol-induced loss of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons in adulthood (RP Vetreno, FT Crews) The adolescent brain is in a constant state of change and therefore has a heightened capacity for neural plasticity. Unfortunately, binge

mature woman trail running

Sense & Movement – A Surprisingly Unique Phenomenon

Julia C. Basso, PhD Reporting from the 2017 Annual Society for Neuroscience Meeting The ability to adapt your movement to signals or cues in the environment is known as sensorimotor adaptation, the focus of one of the many minisymposiums at the conference. Dr. Rachael Seidler and her colleagues at the University of Florida study this

woman running on treadmill

Exercise Affects Symptoms Of OCD

Catherine O’Brien Throughout my research, one theme has continued to emerge: exercise has powerful effects that can be used for treatment of various psychological impairments. While my current research focuses largely on healthy populations, I am most interested in the therapeutic effects exercise can offer individuals with clinical diagnoses and challenges. As such, I am

Muscles and Mind, Mind-Body

Yoga: A Mind-Body Practice That Improves the Brain

Contributed by Julia C. Basso, Post-doctoral Research Associate, New York University, Center for Neural Science Yoga: A Mind-Body Practice That Improves the Brain Yoga is an ancient Indian mind-body practice that focuses on both movement (asanas) and breath (pranayama).  It first came to the United States around the early 1900s, but it did not gain popularity

group of dancers

Dancing Can Reverse Aging In The Brain

Julia C. Basso, PhD A healthy and functional brain requires healthy, intact cells that fire effectively. Action Potentials Neurons generate action potentials, which are the brain’s primary source of currency. Action potentials are electrical signals that travel down the neuron. When the action potential reaches the end of the neuron (the axon terminal), the electrical

mature athlete drinking water

What Toxins Are Lurking In Your Brain?

Julia C. Basso, PhD As a scientist who studies the effects of exercise on the brain, I am always thinking about what exercise-induced factors (from muscles, bones, organs, brain tissue, etc.) cause the beneficial effects on brain function, like improvements in mood and cognition. Recently I started thinking about it another way. What if we

man running on track

Lifestyle Recommendations To Prevent Cognitive Decline

Julia C. Basso, PhD Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60-80% of cases, and is characterized by problems with memory, thinking, and behavior. AD is progressive; symptoms worsen over time, with individuals eventually losing the ability to carry on tasks of daily living. AD results from changes in the

plank

Isometric Exercise and Alzheimer’s Disease

Catherine O’Brien Alzheimer’s Disease is the leading cause of dementia and currently affects an estimated 5.5 million American adults (Center for Disease Control, 2016). Unfortunately, the Center for Disease Control predicts that the incidence of Alzheimer’s will increase in the coming years.  The early stages of the disease are marked by Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)