Want to improve the state of your brain? Do some exercises to improve your mental might! Let's determine how physical activity is associated with gray matter during aging. Gray matter, also called the cerebral cortex, gets the credit for processing much of the information we use. It is made up of neurons and nerve fibers, and its shrinkage is a possible cause of or contributor to dementia and Alzheimer's disease, a fatal degenerative illness that affects 5.2 million adults in the USA. The number of diagnoses is expected to triple by 2050. In a recent study of 876 adults (ages ranged from 69-95), those who burned the most calories had 5% more gray matter. The researchers used MRIs and 3-D pictures...
