Lifestyle modulators of neuroplasticity: how physical activity, mental engagement, and diet promote cognitive health during aging

Phillips (2017) mentions there is evidence that modifiable lifestyle factors such as physical activity, cognitive engagement, and diet can provide key strategies for maintaining healthy brains during the aging process, and thus aims to identify mechanisms in which brain health can be improved while aging and to highlight future directions for scientists and clinicians. There have also been a multitude of studies that have demonstrated correlations between lifestyle factors, brain structure and function, and cognitive function in aging adults: physical activity and diet modulate common neuroplasticity substrates (neurotrophic signaling, neurogenesis, inflammation, stress response, and antioxidant defense) in the brain; while cognitive engagement has been shown to enhance brain and cognitive reserve. This is why this review evaluated the relationship between modifiable lifestyle factors, neuroplasticity, and optimal brain health during aging, with the motive of further advancing the world’s understanding and clinical treatment interventions for maintaining brain health. [NPIDs: aging, elderly, cognitive decline, neurodegenerative disorders, dementia, cognition, neuroplasticity, neurotrophic signaling, neurogenesis, inflammation, stress, antioxidants]

Year: 2017

Reference: Phillips C. (2017). Lifestyle Modulators of Neuroplasticity: How Physical Activity, Mental Engagement, and Diet Promote Cognitive Health during Aging. Neural plasticity, 2017, 3589271. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/3589271

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