Long-term cardiovascular exercise has been associated with improvement in short-term and long-term memory. Acute aerobic physical activity has been shown to improve cognitive function, short-term memory and long-term memory. Previous studies have reported that participation in physical activity is associated with increased memory and cognition. In Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, the hippocampus is one of the first regions of the brain to exhibit damage such as short-term memory loss and disorientation. A large hippocampal size is associated with good memory and cognitive function however, atrophy of the hippocampus is associated with the development of dementia. The hippocampus is a small organ located within the brain’s medial temporal lobe, and is associated primarily with memory. The volume and weight of the brain decrease at a rate of approximately 5% per decade after 40 years of age, with the actual rate of decline possibly increasing with older age, particularly > 70 years. This study revealed a potential benefit of gardening activities for cognitive function in senior individuals.īrain function and memory decline in the aging process.
Levels of BDNF and PDGF were significantly increased after the gardening activity. The levels of brain nerve growth factors, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), were analyzed.
#Activity in garden professional#
To determine the effects of the gardening activities on brain nerve growth factors related to memory, blood samples were drawn twice from each subject before and after the gardening activity by professional nurses. The gardening involved six activities including cleaning a garden plot, digging, fertilizing, raking, planting/transplanting, and watering.
A 20-min low-to-moderate intensity gardening activity intervention, making a vegetable garden, was performed by the subjects in a garden plot located on the Konkuk University (Seoul, South Korea) campus. Forty-one senior individuals (age 76.6 ± 6.0 years) were recruited from the local community in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, South Korea.
The objective of this study was to determine the effects of gardening activities in senior individuals on brain nerve growth factors related to cognitive function.
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