Neuroscientist: Maintaining Brain Youth and Health Through Cell Growth

The Human Brain

3 Exercises to Grow New Brain Cells

Maintaining brain youth and health is just as important as maintaining physical fitness. The good news, according to a report published in the Times of India, is that the brain doesn't need repair; it can grow new cells and adapt throughout a person's life in a process called neurogenesis.

Neurologist Robert Lowe, a specialist in Alzheimer's disease, explains that certain physical and mental exercises can stimulate the growth of new brain cells, helping to improve memory and overall cognitive function. Among the most effective and scientifically proven exercise options are resistance training, dual-tasking exercises, and leg exercises, as follows:

1. Resistance Training

Resistance training encompasses various forms of exercise that enable muscles to resist an external force, such as free weights, resistance bands, or body weight. Neuroscience studies show that resistance training boosts levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which stimulates the formation of new neurons in vital brain regions, including the hippocampus, the brain's center for learning and memory.

Common resistance exercises include deadlifts, squats, lunges, push-ups, and resistance band exercises. Regular resistance training contributes to muscle development and also improves cognitive function by increasing neuroplasticity, or the brain's ability to adapt and create new neural pathways.

Studies have shown that even moderate resistance training, performed two to three times a week, can have significant positive effects on brain health and performance. Resistance training is also a powerful countermeasure against age-related muscle loss, also known as muscular dystrophy.

2. Dual-Task Exercises

Dual-tasking exercises combine physical and mental focus, training the body and brain simultaneously. These exercises require concentration and coordination, making them particularly effective for brain health. This type of multitasking uniquely activates the brain networks responsible for attention, coordination, and executive functions.

Neuroscience research has shown that these exercises, because they require the active engagement of multiple brain regions simultaneously, are more effective at promoting neurogenesis than physical or cognitive training alone. 

Thus, the mental challenge combined with physical activity increases the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which stimulates synaptic plasticity and promotes the growth of robust neural networks essential for advanced thinking and memory. 

Dual-tasking training is particularly effective for older adults in delaying cognitive decline and promoting functional independence.

3. Leg Exercises

Exercises that focus on the legs, such as squats, lunges, and stair climbing, are beneficial for the brain. This is because they engage some of the body's largest muscles. When these muscles contract, they send powerful biochemical signals to the brain, helping to boost the production of BDNF and support the growth of new brain cells.

Brisk walking or jogging, in addition to its cardiovascular benefits, also helps increase blood flow to the brain, carrying oxygen and nutrients essential for brain cell growth and repair. Dr. Robert Lowe considers leg exercises a key component of his brain health recommendations because they enhance the systemic effects beneficial to brain plasticity. 

Besides promoting brain development, leg exercises improve balance, coordination, and endurance, all of which indirectly contribute to brain health by reducing the risk of injury and promoting an active lifestyle.