Miyaning chuqur qismida dengiz otiga o'xshash kichik tuzilma bor — gippokamp. U yangi xotiralarni shakllantirishda muhim rol o'ynaydi. Yosh o'tgan sari gippokamp asta kichrayadi. Olimlar savol berishdi: sport buni to'xtata oladimi?

Bir yillik tajriba

2011-yilda Kirk Erikson va hamkasblari PNAS jurnalida 120 nafar keksa yoshdagi odam ishtirok etgan tajribani e'lon qilishdi. Bir guruh haftasiga 3 marta 40 daqiqadan tez yurish bilan shug'ullandi, ikkinchi guruh esa faqat cho'zilish mashqlarini bajardi.

Bir yildan keyin yuruvchilarning gippokampi taxminan 2% kattalashgan, cho'zilish guruhida esa odatdagidek kichraygan. Mualliflar buni yoshga bog'liq yo'qotishni 1–2 yilga “orqaga qaytarish” deb baholadi. Gippokamp hajmining o'sishi qondagi BDNF — nerv hujayralari o'sishini qo'llab-quvvatlovchi modda — darajasi bilan ham bog'liq bo'lgan.

Eng yaxshi “miya vitamini” — dorixonada emas, yugurish yo'lakchasida.

Halol bo'lish uchun

Boshqa olimlar tadqiqotga izoh yozib, xotira testlarida ikki guruh o'rtasidagi farq aniq emasligini ta'kidlashgan. Ya'ni hajm o'sgani tasdiqlangan, lekin bu xotirani qanchalik yaxshilashi hali munozarali. Shunga qaramay, sport uyqu, kayfiyat va stress uchun foydali ekanligi ko'plab tadqiqotlarda ko'rsatilgan — bularning hammasi o'qishga bevosita ta'sir qiladi.

O'quvchi uchun reja

• Haftasiga 3 marta. 30–40 daqiqa yurish, yugurish yoki futbol.
• O'qishdan oldin harakat. 10 daqiqalik tez yurish diqqatni yangilaydi.
• Tanaffusda turing. Har soatda bir marta o'rningizdan turib yuring.
• Uyquni unutmang. Sport + yaxshi uyqu — eng kuchli kombinatsiya.

Manba: Erickson va boshq., “Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory”, PNAS, 2011; Coen, Lawlor & Kenny, izoh maktubi, PNAS, 2011. Matn — o'zbek tilidagi erkin qisqacha bayon.

Deep in the brain sits a small structure shaped like a seahorse: the hippocampus. It plays an important role in forming new memories. With age, the hippocampus slowly shrinks. Scientists asked: can exercise slow this down?

A one-year trial

In 2011, Kirk Erickson and colleagues published a trial with 120 older adults in PNAS. One group did brisk walking for 40 minutes, three times a week; the other group only did stretching.

After a year, the walkers' hippocampus had grown by about 2%, while in the stretching group it shrank as usual. The authors described this as reversing age-related loss by one to two years. The increase in hippocampal volume was also linked to higher levels of BDNF, a substance in the blood that supports the growth of nerve cells.

The best “brain vitamin” is not at the pharmacy. It is on the running track.

To be fair

Other researchers wrote a comment on the study noting that the difference between the two groups on memory tests was not clear. So the growth in volume is confirmed, but how much it improves memory is still debated. Even so, many studies show that exercise helps sleep, mood and stress, and all of these directly affect studying.

A plan for students

• Three times a week. 30–40 minutes of walking, running or football.
• Move before you study. A 10-minute brisk walk refreshes attention.
• Stand up during breaks. Get up and walk around once an hour.
• Do not forget sleep. Exercise plus good sleep is the strongest combination.

Source: Erickson et al., “Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory”, PNAS, 2011; Coen, Lawlor & Kenny, letter, PNAS, 2011. Text: a free summary.