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Researchers at UCLA wanted to see how sedentary behavior influences memory formation. UCLA researchers recruited 35 people ages 45 to 75 and measured the physical activity levels and the average number of hours per day they spent sitting. Research participant had a high-resolution MRI scan that provides a detailed look at the medial temporal lobe MTL, a brain region involved in the formation of new memories.
They discovered that sedentary behavior is a significant predictor of thinning of the MTL and that physical activity, even at high levels, is insufficient to offset the harmful effects of sitting for extended periods. MTL thinning can be a precursor to cognitive decline and dementia in middle-aged and older adults.
Reducing sedentary lifestyle may improve brain health in people at risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other diseases associated with inactivity. Inactivity can have the same effect that smoking of cigarette, drinking of alcohol and eating of junk foods can have on brain.
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