Orienteering is a sporting activity in which it is necessary to cover varied and unknown terrain in the shortest possible time with the help of a map and a compass. Finishing the test successfully not only depends on the physical preparation of the participants -such as resistance, strength or flexibility-, but also the ability to choose the route, stay on it without getting disoriented and concentrate on the task. race. Practicing this sport based on athleticism, orientation ability and memory could help prevent cognitive decline associated with dementia, according to a new study by researchers at McMaster University.
The human brain evolved thousands of years ago creating new neural pathways to adapt to the harsh environment, and these scientists thought that the physical and cognitive requirements of orientation might stimulate areas of the brain that our ancestors used for hunting and gathering. Currently, these brain functions are no longer necessary to survive because food is available in the supermarket and we can use GPS applications to move without getting lost.
“Modern life may lack the specific physical and cognitive challenges that the brain needs to thrive,” says Jennifer Heisz, Canada’s research director in brain health and aging at McMaster University, who has supervised this research. “In the absence of active navigation, we risk losing that neural architecture.” Heisz points specifically to Alzheimer’s disease, in which one of the first symptoms manifested by half of those affected, even in the early stages of the disease, is losing the ability to orientate.
Train the brain with a sport for all ages
For the study, the researchers surveyed healthy adults, aged 18 to 87, who had varying levels of counseling experience (none, intermediate, advanced, and elite), and found that individuals who participate in counseling reported a better spatial navigation and memory, suggesting that adding elements of orienteering into regular training could be beneficial throughout life.
“Orienteering is very much a lifelong sport. Participants ranging in age from 6 to 86 can often be seen participating in orienteering”
The goal of orienteering is to run as fast as possible through unfamiliar terrain where you have to find a series of checkpoints, using only a map and compass to do so. The most skilled athletes must efficiently switch between various mental tasks and make quick decisions while moving across the field at a fast pace.
This is a unique sport in that it requires active navigation while making rapid transitions between the parts of the brain that process spatial information in different ways. For example, interpreting a map depends on a third-person perspective relative to the environment. Counselors must quickly translate that information in relation to their own positions in the environment, in real time, while performing the activity.
GPS systems have created this ability out of modern life, the researchers note, which may affect not only our ability to get around, but also our spatial processing and memory in general because these cognitive functions rely on overlapping neural structures. These scientists propose two things to make more use of our orientation skills in everyday life: turning off GPS and using a map to find our way when traveling and choosing alternative routes when driving, walking or cycling, because that brings new challenges that They help slow down the aging of the brain.
“When it comes to brain training, the physical and cognitive demands of orientation have the potential to give you more for your money compared to exercise alone,” said lead author Emma Waddington, a graduate student in the Department of Kinesiology, coach and member of the national orienteering team, who designed the study, the results of which have been published in the journal PLOS ONE.
“Orienteering is very much a lifelong sport. You can often see participants between the ages of 6 and 86 taking part in orienteering,” says Waddington. “My long-term involvement in this sport has allowed me to understand the process behind the learning of navigation skills and has inspired me to investigate the uniqueness of orienteering and the scientific importance that this sport may have in the aging population.” Waddington says.
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