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Importance of Brain gym as exercise in physiotherapy and rehabilitation

Article in International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences · December 2020

DOI: 10.26452/ijrps.v11iSPL4.4310

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 Waqar M Naqvi et al., Int. J. Res. Pharm. Sci., 2021, 12 (2), 1-4

SHORT COMMUNICATION

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN

PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES
Published by JK Welfare & Pharmascope Foundation Journal Home Page: www.pharmascope.org/ijrps

Importance of Brain gym as exercise in physiotherapy and rehabilitation

ION
Vaishnavi V Siroya1 , Waqar M Naqvi*2 , Chaitanya A Kulkarni2
1
Ravi Nair Physiotherapy College, Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences, Wardha- 442001,
Maharashtra, India
2
Department of Community Health Physiotherapy, Ravi Nair Physiotherapy College, Datta Meghe
Institute of Medical Sciences, Wardha- 442001, Maharashtra, India

Article History: ABSTRACT

RS
Received on: 01 Oct 2020
Revised on: 04 Nov 2020 This is not unprecedented that a whole industry, effectively promoted, has
Accepted on: 05 Nov 2020 grown to promote the notion of ’brain-based’ learning among other ideas.
Much attention has been put on connecting advances in neuroscience research
Keywords:
with educational approaches to boost learning. Brain Gym is a curricu-

Brain Gym,
Physiotherapy,
Exercises,
Rehabilitation
VE
lum basically focused on theories of neuroscience and educational kinesiol-
ogy. Intervention of brain gym consists of integrated, cross-lateral, balance-
requiring movements that mechanically activate both hemispheres of the
brain through the motor and sensory cortexes. The study describes the impor-
tance of brain gym exercise in physiotherapy. Exercise can stimulate the brain
in such a way that neurons are often in a condition to handle the different
data from outside and are capable of responding to a ”corporate member” of
their duty in compliance with parts of brain activity by means of the princi-
D
ple of ”brain-body link”. Brain Gym is a great source of personal development,
enabling individuals to obtain rapid transformations and also improve quality
of life in different age group.
EA

*
1 Corresponding Author brain learning (Spaulding et al., 2010). The neu- 21

ral mechanism and white matter connectivity of the 22

2 Name: Waqar M Naqvi
brain is in luence by the intervention of the exer- 23
3 Phone:
cise (Gujral et al., 2017). According to Brain Gym 24
4 Email: [email protected]
FR

5 literature, the abstract framework on which brain 25

activity is conceptualized is generally simpli ied and 26

6 ISSN: 0975-7538
de ined along dimensions: laterality, attention and 27

7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.26452/ijrps.v10i4 centering. Laterality, the synchronization between 28

8
the brain’s right and left hemispheres, which is 29
9 Production and Hosted by
considered important for reading, writing, hearing, 30
OO

10 Pharmascope.org communicating and being able to walk and think. 31

11 © 2021 | All rights reserved. Focusing, the ability to process information in the 32
12
brain, which is connected to perception and lack in 33

attention/hyperactivity. The inal section, center- 34

13 INTRODUCTION
ing, the top and bottom brain parts organized as 35

necessary to combine rational thought with emo- 36

14 Brain Gym is an academic kinesiological program
tion (Chen et al., 2019).
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37
15 that is promoted and applied with a consistent
16 learning purpose and is invented by Paul and Gail As per the founders, routine performance of brain 38

17 Dennison, in the 1970s. Brain Gym activities gymnastics results in the activation and develop- 39

18 includes of 26 basic motions, which are believed ment of various parts of the brain, especially the 40

19 to improve perception and stimulates brain hemi- corpus callosum, which allows contact between the 41

20 sphere by neural re-modelling to facilitate whole two sides of the brain smoothly and in a more opti- 42

© International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences 1

 Waqar M Naqvi et al., Int. J. Res. Pharm. Sci., 2021, 12 (2), 1-4

43 mized way for high-level thinking (Hyatt, 2007). The tioning. Finally, it has been suggested that a higher 98

44 brain is a complex organ which focuses on motion level of itness through increased physical activity 99

45 and according to Hannaford, “activity is necessary might have a positive effect on neuropathologic sub- 100

46 for learning” (Weslake and Christian, 2015). Brain strates as well as it might lead to a decreased whole- 101

47 training is very important in neuro rehabilitation it brain and medial temporal lobe atrophy in older 102

48 reduces atrophy, decrease white matter lesion bur- adults (Cancela et al., 2015). Intervention of phys- 103

49 den, and improve cognitive function. It is effec- iotherapy in elderly patients leads to improve sleep, 104

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50 tive treatment for depressed older adults, since its quality of life and reduce depression and stress and 105

51 neural bene its enhanced for age-related atrophy it has an signi icant effects on the cognition and psy- 106

52 aggravated by neuropathology (Li, 2017). Neu- chological perception (Deslandes et al., 2009). 107

53 roimaging work has suggested that motor learning Brain gym plays an important role in pediatric 108
54 and skill transfer require activation of perceptual treatment with neural dysfunction such as autism, 109
55 processing regions and more motor cortex activity. attention de icit hyperactive disorder, dyspraxia, 110
56 Changes within the nervous system are required for dyslexia (Cortese, 2013). Children with Autism 111
57 the effective transfer of learned motor mechanics in Spectrum Disorder experience problems such as

RS
112
58 sports (Grooms et al., 2018). behavioral impairments in social interaction and 113

59 Physical therapy intervention aims at the optimiza- weak communication skills. Intervention of brain 114

60 tion of activity, social participation, and quality of gym in ASD children is effective in enhancing mem- 115

61 life, as well as the health condition of people with ory and concentration power and also improves 116

62 acute and chronic disabilities. The most effective quality of life. It also has a signi icant effect on 117

63

64

65

66

67

68
way to activate brain is to integrate the right and
left-brain functions by combining kinesthetic and
tactile learning, strategies with visual and audi-
tory exercises. Brain exercise leads to sensory
integrity, motor learning and brain-body connec-
tion. Brain-inspired learning has recently gained
VE
the student with depression and stress. Andrea
Watson and Ginger L. Kelso in 2014 found the
effect of brain gym on academic engagement for
children with developmental disabilities and claims
that wide areas of educational functioning such as
concentration and emphasis are strengthened, and
118

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120

121

122

123

69 additional interest in solving control and decision- more speci ic areas such as learning, writing, math- 124

70 making tasks (Chen et al., 2019). A motion in the ematics and studying. Although some work has 125
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71 mental workout has been shown to have increased already started in these areas, researchers will sys- 126

72 blood circulation and stability, good oxygen levels tematically assess performance improvements in 127

73 and healthy metabolism (Doewes, 2009). Diabetic each ield. For the development of brain in mentally 128
EA

74 peripheral neuropathy including perception impair- effects children brain gym exercises are found to 129

75 ment is known to contribute to compromised equi- be very ef icient and convenient (Watson and Kelso, 130

76 librium, abnormal gait habits and increased risk of 2014). 131

77 accidents. According to the studies there is signif- As per the research conducted by Dustin R. Grooms 132
78 icant improvement in balance and reduced risk of et al. in 2018 in order to clarify the adaptive mecha- 133
79 fall after Brain Gym exercises in patients with dia- nisms of neuromotor learning this study offers early 134
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80 betic neuropathy. This exercise is useful in treating information leading to the neuronal developmen- 135
81 hypertensive patients as it reduces stress, relieves tal processes of risk of serious injury – decreas- 136
82 anxiety, promotes circulation of blood and boots ing movement process transition to sports. This 137
83 brain development (Panse et al., 2018). improving occipital cortex output could strengthen 138

84 Many studies show that brain gym is the non- the learning process of motor coordination habits 139
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85 pharmacological treatment for mental health espe- exercised during practicing and promote the trans- 140

86 cially in geriatrics. The ageing process is char- ferring of these patterns to many other sport- 141

87 acterized by the loss of progressive physiological speci ic practices. Such novels describe the possi- 142

88 integrity, which causes impaired function and this ble neuronal pathways of transmitting adjustment 143

89 damage leads to various diseases, such as cancer, to sport through neuronal exercise. It comprehen- 144

90 diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, and neurode- sive integrative evaluation of neuromotor regulation 145

91 generative disease (Efffendy et al., 2019). José María from the cognitive mechanisms to the neurological 146
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92 Cancela et al. conducted a study which represents performance will help potential initiatives to mini- 147

93 the ef icacy of brain gym training on cognitive per- mize injury risk-limiting treatments by speci ically 148

94 formance and itness level in elderly patient and targeting neuronal processes that enhance the tran- 149

95 suggested that Brain Gym can be considered as a sition of procedure adjustments to the sport expe- 150

96 useful physical therapy strategy for older adults, rience (Grooms et al., 2018). This show that brain 151

97 since it can have a positive impact on brain func- training is very effective in sports physiotherapy as 152

2 © International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences

 Waqar M Naqvi et al., Int. J. Res. Pharm. Sci., 2021, 12 (2), 1-4

153 it enhances the cortex for learning the motor pat- ply of blood between the brain and body, decreases 206

154 terns. anxiety, stimulates the vestibular system for equi- 207

155 And many studies have successfully proved that librium, bene icial effects on mental health and 208

156 with the help of brain gym activities intervention decrease the ight or light mechanism. 209

157 there is signi icant effects as various ields (Des- Funding Support 210

158 landes et al., 2009). In school systems around the

The authors declare that they have no funding sup- 211
world, Brain Gym is used to help students in accom-

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159
port for this study. 212
160 plishing great things faster. In the technology indus-
161 try, Brain Gym is often used to help staff at all abil- Con lict of Interest 213

162 ity levels to do their job comfortably and conve-

The authors declare that there is no con lict of inter- 214
163 niently. Brain Gym is also used in athletics, promot-
est. 215
164 ing leadership skills as well as team contact. Brain
165 Gym is a great resource for personal development,
REFERENCES 216
166 encouraging people to make massive improvements
in places where they might have previously felt

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167
Cancela, J. M., Suárez, M. H. V., Vasconcelos, J., Lima, 217
168 ”locked.” (Montgomery et al., 2004). Brain gym
A., Ayán, C. 2015. Ef icacy of Brain Gym Training 218
169 training enhances the effectiveness of development
on the Cognitive Performance and Fitness Level of 219
170 in children through its systematic perspective and
Active Older Adults: A Preliminary Study. Journal 220
171 is commonly used for polite and clam behavior.
of Aging and Physical Activity, 23(4):653–658. 221
172 It re lects development in mental capacity, moti-
173

174

175

176

177
vation, behavior, perception and awareness, con-
centration, eye-hand coordination, cognitive skills,
obeying commands, calculations and computing,
ability to read and write, and self-con idence (Hyatt,
2007).
VE
Chen, J., Chen, J., Zhang, R., Hu, X. 2019. Toward a
Brain-Inspired System: Deep Recurrent Reinforce-
ment Learning for a Simulated Self-Driving Agent.
Frontiers in Neurorobotics, 13:40.
Cortese, S. 2013. Gym for the Attention-
De icit/Hyperactivity Disorder Brain? Still a Long
222

223

224

225

226

227
178 Physiotherapy includes rehabilitation, injury pre-
Run Ahead…. Journal of the American Academy of 228
179 vention, and health and itness. However, aero-
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 52(9):894–896. 229
bic exercise aims at improving itness, increasing
D
180

181 muscle strength and endurance whereas brain gym Deslandes, A., Moraes, H., Ferreira, C., Veiga, H., Sil- 230

182 boots brain performance. Brain Gym is a great veira, H., Mouta, R., Pompeu, F. A., Coutinho, E. S. F., 231

183 source of personal development, enabling individu- Laks, J. 2009. Exercise and Mental Health: Many 232
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184 als to obtain rapid transformations and also improve Reasons to Move. Neuropsychobiology, 59(4):191– 233

185 quality of life in different age group (Gujral et al., 198. 234

186 2017). Proper functioning of brain is very impor- Doewes, M. 2009. Exercise and brain health in 235

187 tant to deal with daily life problems. Practicing brain elderly. Folia Medica Indonesiana, 45(2):161. 236

188 gym exercise is prove to be very important in physio- Efffendy, E., Prasanty, N., Utami, N. 2019. The 237
therapy as it focus on the mental and physical health Effects of Brain Gym on Quality of Sleep, Anxi-
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189
238
190 and have no negative effects, and can be done very ety in Elderly at Nursing Home Care Case Medan. 239
191 easily. Performing brain gym enhances the neural Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sci- 240
192 pathways which provides effective relearning of the ences, 7(16):2595–2598. 241
193 movement, reduces stress and depression, improve
Grooms, D. R., Kiefer, A. W., Riley, M. A., Ellis, J. D., 242
194 cognitive perception, adaption of motion patterns
Thomas, S., Kitchen, K., DiCesare, C. A., Bonnette,
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243
195 and biomechanics of the body. Most importantly
S., Gadd, B., Foss, K. D. B., Yuan, W., Silva, P., Gal- 244
196 brain gym enhance quality of life which is the most
loway, R., Diekfuss, J. A., Leach, J., Berz, K., Myer, 245
197 focused aspect of the physiotherapy (Efffendy et al.,
G. D. 2018. Brain-Behavior Mechanisms for the 246
198 2019).
Transfer of Neuromuscular Training Adaptions to 247

Simulated Sport: Initial Findings From the Train 248

199 CONCLUSION
the Brain Project. Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, 249

27(5):27.
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250
200 From this short communication we can conclude
201 that Brain Gym is a great source of personal devel- Gujral, S., Aizenstein, H., Reynolds, C. F., Butters, 251

202 opment, enabling individuals to obtain rapid trans- M. A., Erickson, K. I. 2017. Exercise effects on 252

203 formations and also improve quality of life in differ- depression: Possible neural mechanisms. General 253

204 ent age group. Brain gym exercise is very important Hospital Psychiatry, 49:2–10. 254

205 for elderly patients as it allows for suf icient sup- Hyatt, K. J. 2007. Brain Gym® : Building Stronger 255

© International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences 3

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256 Brains or Wishful Thinking? Remedial and Special

257 Education, 28(2):117–124.
258 Li, S. 2017. Spasticity, motor recovery, and neu-
259 ral plasticity after stroke. Frontiers in neurology,
260 8:120–120.
261 Montgomery, A. L., Li, S., Srinivasan, K., Liechty, J. C.
2004. Modeling Online Browsing and Path Anal-

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263 ysis Using Clickstream Data. Marketing Science,

264 23(4):579–595.
265 Panse, R., Deshpande, M., Yeole, U., Pawar, P. 2018.
266 Effect of brain gym® exercises on balance and risk
267 of fall in patients with diabetic neuropathy. Inter-
268 national Journal of Science & Healthcare Research,
269 3(4):257–262.

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270 Spaulding, L. S., Mostert, M. P., Beam, A. P. 2010. Is
271 Brain Gym® an effective educational intervention?
272 Exceptionality, 18(1):18–30.
273 Watson, A., Kelso, G. L. 2014. The Effect of Brain
274 Gym® on Academic Engagement for Children with
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