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Exercise and brain health

Guest Editors

Juliana Hotta Ansai, PhD, Federal University of São Carlos, Brazil
Louis Bherer, PhD, Université de Montréal, Canada
Takehiko Doi, PhD, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Japan
Kazuki Uemura, PhD, Osaka Metropolitan University, Japan



BMC Geriatrics called for submissions to our Collection on Exercise and brain health.

By addressing the relationship between exercise and brain health in older adults, this collection contributed to evidence-based recommendations for promoting cognitive vitality, delaying cognitive decline, and enhancing overall well-being in older adults.


New Content ItemThis Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being.

Meet the Guest Editors

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Juliana Hotta Ansai, PhD, Federal University of São Carlos, Brazil

Juliana Hotta Ansai is adjunct professor at the Gerontology Department (Universidade Federal de São Carlos, UFSCar, Brazil) and advisor of the Postgraduate Program in Gerontology (UFSCar). She is leader of the CNPq Research Group “Functional and multiprofessional approach in Gerontology” and of the Multidisciplinary Assessment and Care in Gerontology Labor. She has experience in topics related to older, non-pharmacological interventions, long-term care, mobility, falls and cognition.

Louis Bherer, PhD, Université de Montréal, Canada

Louis Bherer is full professor at the Department of Medicine at Université de Montréal and Director of the Preventive medicine and Physical activity Center (EPIC Center) of the Montreal Heart Institute. He is also Lab Director and researcher in cognitive neuroscience in aging at the Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal. Dr Bherer specializations include cognitive aging, executive functions, physical exercise, and cognitive training. His CV lists 225 peer reviewed publications, 12 chapters, and 148 national and international invited conferences and keynotes. His laboratory conducts innovative research applying exercise intervention and portable functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) device to study how physical exercise and cognitive stimulation can help improve cognition in sedentary and frail older adults’ population, as well as in individuals with cardiovascular risk factors or cardiac diseases. 

Takehiko Doi, PhD, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Japan

Takehiko Doi is Deputy Head of Department (Department of Preventive Gerontology) in the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology. The area of expertise is preventive gerontology, particularly in dementia and frailty, with experience of cohort study and intervention study. Main research interest is to examine biological mechanisms underlying cognition and mobility.
 

Kazuki Uemura, PhD, Osaka Metropolitan University, Japan

Kazuki Uemura is an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Rehabilitation Science at Osaka Metropolitan University. His main research interests are the prevention of frailty and dementia in community-dwelling older adults, with particular emphasis on health education and behavior change (e.g. physical activity and diet). He has also focused on environmental attributes associated with sustainable health behavior based on an ecological model such as community health literacy.

About the Collection

BMC Geriatrics is calling for submissions to our Collection on Exercise and brain health.

This Collection aims to explore various aspects of the association between exercise and brain health, with potential topics of interest including:

•    Cognitive benefits: investigating the impact of exercise on cognitive function, memory, executive function, and other aspects of mental well-being.
•    Neurobiological mechanisms: exploring the underlying neurobiological mechanisms through which exercise exerts its positive effects on the aging brain, including neuroplasticity, neuroinflammation, and neuroprotection
•    Exercise modalities: assessing the efficacy of various exercise modalities such as aerobic exercise, strength training, and mind-body practices in promoting brain health.
•    Clinical implications: discussing the clinical applications of exercise interventions for preventing cognitive decline and managing neurodegenerative diseases in older adults.

Exercise and physical activity have long been associated with improved health and well-being at all ages.  For adults over the age of 65 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) provide clear guidelines for both frequency and intensity of activity, in addition to recommending physical activity that emphasizes functional balance.  As the population of older adults continues to grow, it is imperative that the relationship between physical activity and cognitive health be better understood in order to promote overall well-being in this growing demographic.

By addressing the relationship between exercise and brain health in older adults, this collection will contribute to evidence-based recommendations for promoting cognitive vitality, delaying cognitive decline, and enhancing overall well-being in older adults.

Image credit: Robert Kneschke / stock.adobe.com

  2. Based on age, period, and cohort, this study aimed to understand the trend of impairment of activities of daily living (ADL) and its influencing factors in older adults in China and to provide a basis for the ...

    Authors: Xianqi Zhang, Xiaoju Li, Li Zhao, Rong Fan, Jiaxin Dong, Xiaoying Shen and Yiyao Li
    Citation: BMC Geriatrics 2025 25:168
    Content type: Research Published on:

  3. Resistance training and other forms of physical exercise are commonly suggested to promote brain health, yet the relationship between resistance training and brain structure in aging is poorly understood. We e...

    Authors: Mads Bloch-Ibenfeldt, Naiara Demnitz, Anne Theil Gates, Ellen Garde, Hartwig R. Siebner, Michael Kjaer and Carl-Johan Boraxbekk
    Citation: BMC Geriatrics 2025 25:120
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. This study aimed to investigate the modulatory role of prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) when sensory cues were removed or presented inaccurately (i.e., incr...

    Authors: Guocai Xu, Mian Zhou, Jiangna Wang, Dewei Mao and Wei Sun
    Citation: BMC Geriatrics 2024 24:1020
    Content type: Research Published on:

  5. Research the dose–response relationship between overall and certain types of exercise and cognitive function in older adults with Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

    Authors: Yuan Yuan, Yong Yang, XiaoFei Hu, Lin Zhang, Zhiyu Xiong, Ying Bai, JiaLe Zeng and Feng Xu
    Citation: BMC Geriatrics 2024 24:480
    Content type: Systematic Review Published on:

  6. Square dancing is a kind of aerobic fitness exercise without environmental restrictions that yields many benefits for physical and mental health; this exercise is popular among middle-aged and elderly people i...

    Authors: Heng Wang, Zhengguo Pei and Yangyang Liu
    Citation: BMC Geriatrics 2024 24:156
    Content type: Research Published on:

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Exercise and brain health" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.