Here’s a bit of good news, new study findings suggest exercise appears to protect the brains of people with multiple sclerosis. If it protects MS patients' brains, I’m sure it protects ours as well. Another excellent reason to Get in Shape, Grandma!
MRI scans show less structural damage in those who exercise
HealthDay, Robert Preidt, February 24, 2010
Patients who were classified as being highly fit performed much better on cognitive function tests than less-fit patients. MRI scans also showed that higher levels of fitness were associated with greater volume of gray matter, which is linked to vital brain processing skills, and less damage in parts of the brain where MS-related deterioration occurs. "We found that aerobic fitness has a protective effect on parts of the brain that are most affected by multiple sclerosis," study lead author Ruchika Shaurya Prakash, an assistant professor of psychology at Ohio State University, said in a news release. "As a result, these fitter patients actually show better performance on tasks that measure processing speed."
