Abstract
SWS seems to be important for the ageing cortex in maintaining ‘use it or lose it’, helping to create new connections to offset ageing effects. Although physical activity is thought to promote this cortical rewiring, the real benefit to the cortex, especially for the frontal region, is the extent to which physical activity provides for novel and interesting sensory and cognitive encounters with one’s surroundings and people, thus eliciting new thoughts, emotions, and experiences to be assimilated and remembered. Thus, cognition is inseparable from physical activity, and within the context of human ageing both processes are intrinsically linked to each other to increase cortical plasticity, leading to more SWS. All one really needs to ‘exercise the cortex’ are a comfortable pair of walking shoes, curiosity, and a desire to explore.
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Horne, J. (2016). Use It or Lose It. In: Sleeplessness. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30572-1_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30572-1_12
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