Neuroscientist Ranks The Top Types of Exercise for Brain Health — Dr. Tommy Wood

Combining open-skill, cognitively challenging exercises with high-intensity interval training that produces lactate offers the most comprehensive benefits for brain health and cognitive function.

• Incorporate open-skill activities like dance or martial arts for enhanced cognitive function and brain structure.

• Engage in high-intensity interval training regularly to produce lactate, a key driver of brain health benefits.

• A few months of consistent high-intensity training can yield durable brain health improvements lasting several years.

Different types of exercise uniquely impact the brain, with open-skill activities showing particular benefits for brain structure and cognitive function due to their complex motor and reactive demands. Dance, ball sports, and martial arts are examples of these. Additionally, high-intensity exercise that generates lactate significantly improves hippocampal structure and function, with benefits potentially lasting for years after a few months of consistent training. The most effective approach for optimal brain health combines these high-skill, high-reaction time sports with regular high-intensity training.

Open-Skill Exercise Benefits

• 00:00:04 Open-skill exercises, characterized by constant adaptation and response to the environment, offer significant benefits for brain structure and cognitive function. Unlike closed-skill or unimodal exercises like jogging, these activities demand complex motor skills and cognitive challenge, leading to greater improvements. Examples include dance, ball sports, and martial arts, which require participants to react to dynamic situations and other people.

Dance's Unique Advantages

• 00:01:46 Dance stands out among physical activities for its high effect size on cognitive function and mental health. This is attributed not only to the learning of complex steps, but also to its inherent social and music components, which collectively contribute to its powerful benefits. Dance requires learning complex motor skills while also engaging with music and other individuals, making it a multifaceted brain stimulant.

High-Intensity Training Impact

• 00:03:08 The benefits of more aerobic or closed-skill exercises are intensity-dependent, with higher intensity activities yielding better outcomes for hippocampal structure and function. A notable Australian study involving the Norwegian 4x4 protocol (four 4-minute intervals at 85-95% max heart rate with 4-minute rests, performed three times a week) showed significant improvements in hippocampal structure and function that were maintained for several years post-trial. This suggests that relatively short periods of intense training can have long-lasting effects.

Lactate's Role in Brain Health

• 00:04:27 Lactate, produced during high-intensity exercise, is a key driver of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) within the brain. While muscle-produced BDNF doesn't readily cross the blood-brain barrier, lactate does, acting as a histone deacetylase inhibitor to activate local BDNF production. Therefore, regularly producing lactate through sufficiently intense sports or short, maximum-effort sprints (like 20-40 seconds with several minutes of rest) is highly beneficial for cognitive function and hippocampal health.