Strength of brain connectivity varies with fitness level in older adults

A new study led by Michelle Voss shows that there is a relationship between fitness levels of adults and strength of connections between different parts of the brain. The findings suggest that adults with a greater cardiovascular fitness level have stronger brain connections, and this is suggested to improve long term memory. 

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, Voss and colleagues measured the strength of these connections throughout the brain in younger and older adults at rest. As expected, the team confirmed that most connections were weaker for older adults when compared with younger adults.They decided to build on these findings and test the role that cardiovascular fitness has on resting brain connectivity. 

A quote from Voss states "An encouraging pattern in the data from our study and others is that the benefits of fitness seem to occur within the low-to-moderate range of endurance, suggesting that the benefits of fitness for the brain may not depend on being extremely fit."

This study suggests that there is a positive relationship between fitness and brain connectivity as people age. This study can be extremely beneficial as it may be able to prevent/reduce the amount of people who suffer from brain problems related to forgetting by regularly exercising, such as dementia.