Dancing Can Fight Brain Aging
One of the most fun ways to fight brain aging is Dancing. Not only is Dancing an excellent form of exercise, it is also an excellent workout for our minds. It’s an amazing and fun way to keep our brains sharp and flexible.
And age doesn’t matter. Dancing is actually one of the best ways for older people to maintain a balance between body and mind. In addition to this, physical activity (especially Dancing) can generally help slow the signs of brain aging in later life.
Engaging in physical activity against brain aging
As we grow older, changes begin to take place in our brains. These include brain tissue weakening, decreased blood circulation, and less communication between brain cells. All of these changes can begin to affect our cognitive abilities, especially learning and memory.
Many studies have shown that physical activity performed in adulthood can slow the cognitive decline associated with aging. A study in the journal Neurology found a direct link between normal moderate and intense exercise and a slow decline in memory and mental capacity in people over 50 years of age.
But exercising the usual moderate or intense exercise is not for everyone, especially when it comes to people who are already over 50 years old. The good news is that there are effective ways to work out and fight brain aging, and those ways don’t require joining a gym or putting running shoes on. Dancing is one of these. Or at least in a study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience .
The effects of dancing on the hippocampus
The study we mentioned included 52 healthy adults aged 63-80 years. Participants were randomly selected from one of two possible groups for 18 months. The second group had to take part in a 90-minute dance class every week for this 18 months, and the other group took part in a 90-minute strength and resistance class every week.
It is worth mentioning that there were many differences between these groups. The dance group learned new routines while the strength and resistance group practiced the same activities throughout this time.
The dance group had constant changes in their routines. Every other week, they learned new steps, hand positions, formations, speed, and rhythm so participants could experience continuous learning.
Both at the beginning and at the end of the study, magnetic resonance imaging was performed on the brains of each participant. The study also included a sensory organization test that assessed the balance of participants before and after the study.
The researchers found that both groups showed increased hippocampal size. But this size of hippocampal growth was larger in the dance group. Only members of the dance group showed an increase in neuronal connections in the trisynaptic circuit of the hippocampus. This part of the brain is connected to learning, memory and emotions. It is also the part of the brain that tends to feel most of the effects of brain aging.
Dancing is a great exercise for older people
The researchers had a theory that the process of continuous learning of dance lessons could explain these benefits. In fact, it also became clear to them that Dancing leads to better results when it comes to balance. And the study found that members of the Strength and Resistance Training Group did not show this same progress.
The researchers also found that the group, which danced for 18 months, showed development in certain areas of the hippocampus that did not occur in the other group. This can also mean that in addition to good physical condition, there are other factors in dancing that lead to changes in the size of the hippocampus.
Therefore, according to them, the challenges added to the dance program, especially cognitive and sensorimotor stimulation, brought about further changes in the size of the hippocampus, in addition to the changes that came from physical skills.
Researchers also stressed that physical activity is one of the most important factors that can help us stay healthy and independent for as long as possible. This is because it can help us prevent many risk factors and slow down future deterioration with age. That is, Dancing can be a powerful tool to give our bodies and minds new challenges, especially as we begin to grow old.
