[Harumanbo Harucheonja] "Walking and Writing, Simple Yet Powerful Brain Exercises"… Advice from a US Neuroscientist

Professor Arthur Kraemer of Northeastern University, USA
Brain Health and Cognitive Ability Expert
"Consistent Exercise Improves Brain Cognitive Ability"

"Light exercise such as walking can help maintain brain health in the elderly. Writing is the same. The important thing is to do both consistently."

Professor Arthur Kramer of Northeastern University in the United States emphasized this in an interview with Asia Economy after finishing a lecture at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 22nd. He meant that consistent and regular walking and writing can protect brain health, improve cognitive abilities, and help prevent dementia.

Professor Kramer is a leading scholar in the field of brain health and cognitive abilities, serving as a psychology professor and director of the Center for Brain and Cognitive Health at Northeastern University. He visited Korea to give a lecture titled "Exercise and Brain Cognitive Ability" at the '2023 Global Dementia Conference' held that day.

Professor Kramer first explained that consistent exercise is necessary to enhance brain health and cognitive abilities. This is because regular exercise positively affects brain health by improving cognitive functions. Inside the temporal lobe of our brain is the hippocampus, a region responsible for cognition and memory, and research has shown that the hippocampus grows larger and cognitive abilities increase in people who have exercised consistently for more than six months.

According to Professor Kramer, the type of exercise does not matter much. However, for the elderly, who generally have lower physical capacity, light exercise may be more beneficial than intense exercise. Excessive exercise can lead to injuries, which may have adverse effects. He explained that intense exercise is not necessarily better for brain health and emphasized, "Any exercise that you enjoy is good for your brain health."

Among light exercises, walking was presented as a representative example. It is not strenuous and easy to do consistently in daily life. He advised, "Running is also good for brain health, but as you get older and your stamina weakens, light exercise like walking can be more helpful," adding, "Exercises that are not aerobic, such as weight training or yoga, can also be effective."

Even activities that stimulate the brain, aside from exercise, can be helpful. Professor Kramer said, "Any activity that can stimulate the brain is effective (for improving brain health)," and explained, "Copying texts by hand, learning and speaking a new language, learning to play a new musical instrument, and doing crossword puzzles are also helpful."

Among these, he emphasized that writing is a good method for improving memory. Professor Kramer explained, "Reading is a complex activity involving various brain functions for comprehension," and added, "If you copy texts by hand yourself, it will be more helpful for enhancing memory."

Above all, consistency is the most important. Professor Kramer advised, "One study showed that people who exercised consistently had nearly half the incidence rates of diseases such as Parkinson's, cancer, and Alzheimer's," and recommended, "It is good to set and practice standards for consistent activity, such as exercising three times a week or for more than 150 minutes a week."

Meanwhile, the conference, jointly hosted by the Korean Dementia Association and the Cognitive Intervention Therapy Association, was organized to discuss how to prepare for the changing dementia treatment environment in observance of Dementia Overcoming Week. Rowan, a company developing digital therapeutic devices (DTx), participated as the main sponsor of this conference.

Professor Arthur Kramer of Northeastern University is giving a lecture at the '2023 Global Dementia Conference' held on the 22nd at the Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@