Due to strict epidemiological regulations, the online space returned to 2020/2021. in the spring semester, the special training program of the University of Debrecen, the Senior University. The series is presented by Róbert Kerepeszki with his lecture entitled Metropolitan Crime and the Criminal Journalist in Horthy-era Budapest. Associate Professor, Deputy Director of the Institute of History, then Professor Norbert Németh, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, spoke about the mysteries of blood flow entitled “Blood Knows His Ways …”. In the third part of the series, László Balogh, head of DESKI, gave a lecture entitled The effect of regular exercise on the brain – the hardened brain, which showed that domestic and international research has shown that exercise has a very beneficial effect on brain activity in addition to general health.
– In connection with exercise, people usually have in mind the positive effects on the body, fitness, general fitness and health, but its effects on the brain and the nervous system should also be examined. Even a simple twenty-minute walk has a noticeable effect on the brain, so if, for example, a child learns after a workout, it “warms up” his brain, prepares him, makes it easier to absorb new information, and improves his performance and efficiency, László Balogh emphasized in his presentation. The expert added that even a single workout has an effect, but if we create a conscious, planned workout plan and move according to it, they will add up in the long run, through the body’s adaptation processes, these positive effects.
The director of DESKI recalled a study conducted between 1966 and 2001 that analyzed eighteen studies. The results of the training programs in it were compared in terms of cognitive abilities. Higher levels of complex and control functions, cognitive functions, visual spatial orientation, memory levels, and subjects’ reaction time were also observed. The study found spectacular progress in all four areas among those who participated in the training programs.
– Exercise and movement have at least the same effect on the brain, the nervous system as, say, the muscles, the musculoskeletal system or the cardiorespiratory system. It has been observed that as a result of exercise, new neurons are formed, and even the number and function of the synaptic connections between them can be strengthened, ie neuroplasticity is improved and the circulatory system of the brain is improved. Numerous studies have shown that physical activity can prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. It is good to do muscle strengthening exercises over sixty, because the one who tries to prevent sarcopenia, muscle loss, the later it can develop dementia in old age, as a link has been found between muscle mass and the level of cognitive abilities in those over 60, the expert underlined.
László Balogh said that it is known as one of the popular diseases of today, but movement is also an excellent cure against the negative effects of stress, a physiological process necessary for everyday life. This is because long-term stress has a bad effect on, among other things, the hippocampus, which can shrink, thereby deteriorating memory. He emphasized that exercise and physical activity control, regulate and strengthen cognitive functions, so the post-movement task does not involve negative stress.
In the complex sports behavior analysis laboratory of the Sports Science Coordination Institute of the University of Debrecen, a research group examines the effects of regular exercise, elite sports, health sports, recreation, among other things, by monitoring heart rate, body temperature, stomach, small and large intestine, among others. stress, or a combination of these, so they can get a real picture of the physiological processes behind stress.
The Senior University is implemented in the framework of the project EFOP-3.4.3-16-2016-00021 entitled “Development of the University of Debrecen in order to jointly improve the quality and accessibility of higher education”.
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