PHYSICAL EXERCISE, MENTAL ACTIVITY, AND BRAIN PLASTICITY

这项研究针对的是1)与年龄相关的内在智力下降 大脑展示一种类型思维的可塑性变化的能力 参与记忆的形成，2)体育锻炼的效果 关于衰老大脑的形态，以及3)心理的影响 大脑的形态活动。该计划的一个核心方面 方法是越来越有力的证据表明， 和/或稳定神经细胞间的突触连接 与记忆和相关形式的大脑信息有关 储藏室。在老化的人类和动物大脑中，有证据表明 记忆中明显的衰退与记忆的丧失是平行的 突触，形成新突触的能力降低，或者两者兼而有之。这个 大脑老化的这些变化的潜在原因尚不清楚， 而确定它们是什么是这项研究的主要目标 项目。原因可能是大脑的内在原因，也可能是 涉及生理代谢支持系统，如 心血管系统。大脑或外周系统可能 最近的研究表明，受行为变量的调节，比如 体育锻炼或脑力活动。需要检验的假设 涉及以下问题：1)老化的大脑是否有 产生新的突触连接的能力减弱 神经元？2)体育锻炼是否影响神经元的数量？ 突触连接的诱导性，可能通过一般的 对血管或其他代谢支持的影响？3)体力活动 锻炼对脑血管系统或新陈代谢有影响吗？4) 动作学习(一项“杂技”任务)是否影响 大脑区域的突触连接可能受到很大影响 在执行任务时？5)做更一般的“脑力锻炼” 生活在复杂环境中会影响大脑新陈代谢 或者连通性措施？和6)做额外的体育锻炼 增强生活在复杂环境中的效果？这个 假说将用定量形态检验。 方法学，结合光学和电子显微镜来评估 每个神经元的突触数量、突触和神经元密度， 血管形态和线粒体体积分数。这些 问题对于理解所涉及的因素至关重要。 在大脑老化和相关的学习能力下降的过程中， 记忆力，以及精神表现和幸福感的其他方面。

This research addresses 1) age-related declines in the intrinsic capacity of the brain to exhibit plastic change of a type thought to be involved in memory formation, 2) effects of physical exercise upon the morphology of the aging brain, and 3) effects of mental activity the morphology of the brain. A central aspect of the approach is the increasingly strong evidence that the formation and/or stabilization of synaptic connections between nerve cells is involved in memory and related forms of brain information storage. In the aging human and animal brain, there is evidence that the declines apparent in memory are paralleled by the loss of synapses, a reduced ability to form new synapses, or both. The underlying causes of these changes in the aging brain are unknown, and determining what they are is the chief goal of this research project. The causes could be intrinsic to the brain or could involve physiological-metabolic support systems such as the cardiovascular system. The brain or peripheral systems could, as recent work suggests, be modulated by behavioral variables such as physical exercise or mental activity. The hypotheses to be tested involve the following questions: 1) does the aging brain have a diminished ability to generate new synaptic connections between neurons? 2) Does physical exercise affect number of or inducibility of synaptic connections, perhaps through general effects upon vascular or other metabolic support ? 3) Does physical exercise affect brain vasculature or metabolism in general? 4) Does motor learning (of an "acrobatic" task) affect the number of synaptic connections in brain regions likely to be heavy involved in performance of the task? 5) Does more general "mental exercise" arising from living in a complex environment affect brain metabolic or connectivity measures? And 6) Does additional physical exercise potentiate the effects of living in a complex environment? The hypotheses are to be tested using qantitative morphological methodology, combining light and electron microscopy to assess numbers of synapses per neuron, synaptic and neuronal density, vascular morphology, and mitochondrial volume fraction. These questions are critical to an understanding of the factors involved in the brain aging process and associated declines in learning, memory, and other aspects of mental performance and well-being.