Researchers from University of Colorado Boulder are collecting data and looking for more participants in a study about the impact of exercise on the brains of older adults.
The study, by researchers in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at CU Boulder, involves looking at the effects of aerobic activity, like running, swimming, cycling or walking on brain functions.
The study aims to zero in on two things: the intensity of the exercise and whether improvements in brain function improve quality of life.
“One of the things we’re interested in is testing whether a higher intensity physical activity intervention actually leads to even better improvements in cognitive function,” says CU Professor Angela Bryan.
“We think that keeping older adults as physically active as they can be is good," she says, "Not only for them physically, but also mentally and psychologically and emotionally.”
The research team will study more than 300 adults who aren’t regularly physically active before and after they take part in a 16-week program of supervised exercise.
The study, titled “Project FORCE: Enhancing Function in Later Life,” is funded by a five-year, $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
