Author Archives: PsychManila

I attend aerobic dancing classes two mornings a week (on average) at the Pergola Mall in BF Paranaque. I love it because, if there is one example of non-pharmacological intervention against cognitive decline, this class is it! Our teacher, Mel Aurelio, is the best teacher ever. He has many years of experience teaching aerobics. He has competed overseas (e.g. World Aerobics Championship in Perth W. Australia) and attended conventions as well (e.g. Orlando Fla. International Dance Exercise Association of America). In addition, he has degrees in Psychology and Nursing.

His classes may look like regular aerobics dance classes but he actually has reasons behind the movements he gives in the class. The most apparent is that the movements we do make us sweat, increase our heart rate and warm up our muscles and joints. The less obvious is that learning several combinations quickly and in succession forces us to pay attention and focus. This is actually cognitive stimulation tapping our working memory, attention and mental discipline (not allowing irrelevant thoughts interfere). Mel always admonishes us to think only of our dance combinations during the 1 hour we have together (“An hour of pure focus”).

I always feel great at the end of the class. I not only feel that my body got a great workout, I also feel that my mind is clearer, quicker and more alert! Not to mention, the endorphins kicking in and I feel very cheerful, happy and re-energized ready to face the world again! This is actually meditation in motion and a very good way to fight cognitive decline.

Mel also recommended several exercises to keep the mind active. One such is to do brisk walking about 15 to 30 minutes while doing serial subtraction (e.g. 100 minus 3 or 100 minus 7). For persons with Alzheimers Disease (AZ), he also recommend doing vocal exercises such as saying “ah-eh-ooh” and “mama-papa-kaka”. He also said that balanced and healthy nutrition also plays a vital role in maintaining good cognitive functioning (e.g. like vitamins A, C and the B complexes). Deep and restful sleep is also another important factor that helps maintain our mental functioning!

What kind of aerobic exercises may be beneficial to the post stroke brain?

1. “…it seems that 30-60 minutes of treadmill or cycling aerobic training 3-5 days per week at 60-80% HRR (Heart Rate Range) for at least 8 weeks commonly yields improvements in cognitive and executive functions, cardiorespiratory fitness, and walking performance in post-stroke individuals.”

2. Bea cited several limitations to methodology such as use of animal models, need to improve the measurement techniques of BDNF as well as the need to develop exercise parameters that will be beneficial to the post-stroke brain.

3. Nevertheless, there is a growing body of research suggesting that “aerobic exercise may play a role in improving the post-stroke brain through changes in motor learning, cognitive and executive function, cardiovascular fitness and walking.”

Outside of the research field, many people who live active and healthy lifestyles can attest to the benefits they experience from aerobic exercise. Aside from walking on a treadmill, cycling and swimming, other aerobic exercises we can engage in are running, aerobic/dance classes (e.g. step, hip-hop, Zumba). I for one have been taking aerobics/dancing/step classes for many years now.

Aside from aerobic exercise being good for our mind and body, resistance or weight training is just as important to keep our bones healthy and strong. I, for one, was an avid gym rat for a long while, doing mostly free weights. Carrying weights helps me to keep my bones strong especially in my legs and arms. Of late, I have also been doing more and more stretching exercises. My work entails a lot of writing, and sitting for hours in front of my laptop has made my body stiff (I’m sure a lot of us have the same experience as far as work goes!). Making sure to engage in aerobic exercise, resistance training and stretching, at least twice a week (although I do short sessions at home and on my own), has helped me stimulate and keep my mind active, my body strong and lean, and my mood happy and positive!

Beatrice Francisco, the daughter of a very good friend of mine, Maria Francisco, has written a very interesting paper entitled “Neuroplasticity and Exercise in the Post Stroke Brain-A Review” (University of British Columbia). This article is exciting because it supports my passion for exercise and the good it does for our brain. The article is essentially a review of the literature on research and what follows is a humble summary of the main points (the quotes are from the article) which I want to share with readers on the website:

1. “Neuroplasticity is the term to describe the activity-dependent ability of the central nervous system to change structurally or functionally.”

2. Our brain has proteins called neurotrophins that are known to “regulate the survival, development and function of neurons.”

3. Among the neurotrophins, is the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) which “facilitates long term potentiation (LTP) and long term depression (LTD), two mechanisms of neuroplasticity.”

4. “LTP occurs when repeated stimulation leads to strengthening of existing neural connections or the formation of new ones.”

5. “LTD is the weakening of neural connections due to inactive synapses, or increased low-frequency stimulation of neurons without postsynaptic activity.”

6. Aerobic exercise has neuroplastic properties that mediate BDNF, LTP and LTD.

7. Aerobic exercise leads to increase in BDNF secretion in both human and animal models.

8. BDNF facilitates the production of LTP through high-medium intensity exercise.

9. LTD has also been associated with neuroplasticity, learning and memory through low intensity exercise.

10. “Evidently, literature suggests that aerobic exercise enhances the brain’s capability to experience LTP- and LTD-like learning by changing corticospinal excitability, hence promoting plasticity.”

11. Through these mechanisms neuroscience research is now exploring the idea that aerobic exercise may prime the brain for recovery after stroke.

More of Bea’s review on neuroplasticity and exercise in the post-stroke brain in the next issue of the website! By the way, am also proud to mention that Bea is the former goalie of field hockey Team Canada and University of British Columbia in Vancouver Canada!

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UPDATE: Read part 2 of this post here: https://psychmanila.com/neuroplasticity-and-exercise-in-the-post-stroke-brain-part-ii/

I came back recently from attending the 4th Singapore Neurocognitive Symposium. The focus on the symposium was Dementia the prevalence of which is most often seen in Alziehmer’s disease (AD).

The speakers came from various countries in Asia such as Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong and the Philippines. There were 2 speakers from the US, one from the Netherlands, one from the UK and one from Spain. It was most informative and what follows is a summary of the main points taken up by the various speakers:

-Dementia is the final stage of a long pre-clinical or asymptomatic period Alziehmer’s Disease (AD);

-AD actually starts 15-20 years before symptoms appear;

-Certain tests can indicate if a person is “at risk” for getting AD;

-The presence of Amyloid B and Tau pathologies in the brain indicate a high probability of getting the condition;

– These substances can be seen via PET scan and by extraction of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF);

-AD is an age related disease, the older a person is, the greater the risk of getting this disorder;

-The incidence of AD is increasing as the population ages, all over the world;

-Dementia is reportedly now a global health priority of the World Health Organization (WHO);

-We cannot stop dementia, the aim of current research is to find pharmacological and non-pharmacological ways to delay, as well as minimize, its effect and improve the quality of life;

-Research is now underway to improve as well as to formulate new medicines to treat AD. Studies are also underway to find non-pharmacological intervention for the condition.

Source: taken from information given by the various speakers of the symposium. The speakers were Adeline Ng, Alvin Cenina, Kinjal Doshi, Wiesje M. Van der Flier, Jose Luis Molinuevo, Oscar Lopez, Koji Abe, Christopher Chen, Claude Wischik