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UNMC’s Denham Harman, M.D., Ph.D., left, shakes hands with John Ratey, M.D., associate clinical professor in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, as Dr. Harman’s wife, Helen, looks on. Dr. Ratey presented the Denham Harman, M.D., Ph.D., Lectureship in Biomedical Gerontology Friday to a full house in the Durham Research Center Auditorium. During the lecture, Dr. Ratey said exercise and constant challenges are beneficial for the mind. Even stress — if it has a recovery period– is productive, he said, noting that growth occurs at that time. It is similar, he said, to weight lifting, which challenges muscles and then makes them stronger during recovery. Physical and mental exercise is a challenge to the brain, Dr. Ratey said. “Going out for a run is like a little Prozac and Ritalin,” he said. “We feel more focused, calm and motivated afterward. The more activity you are doing, the less cognitive decline.” |
Fellow soldiers in the aging battle meet
- Written by Karen Burbach
- Published Apr 7, 2008