Dance: this benefits our brain
The dance it is a characteristic feature of humanity that has numerous benefits for the brain. The latest research affirms that dance stimulates attention, memory, coordination and space-time awareness. The dance activates motor and sensory neuronal circuits while music stimulates the reward centers of the brain.
Thanks to the advance of neuroimaging techniques, we have begun to study how human beings are able to control the steps in a specific space, how we are able to learn complex choreographies or how we can keep pace.
Dance and neurological pathologies
Dancing is beneficial for our health, but it can also be beneficial for those suffering from a neurological pathology. "Although much remains to be studied, the research that has been done in this regard has determined that dance, from the neurological point of view, is a complex process in which motor and sensory neuronal circuits are activated while the music stimulates the reward centers of the brain, "explains Dr. Pablo Irimia, Member of the Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN).
"It has also been determined that while some areas of the brain are responsible for body orientation and allow us to move in space in the right direction, there are others that make us synchronize our movements with music," adds Dr. Pablo Irimia
Thanks to the different neuroimaging techniques, neurologists have been able to identify several regions of the brain involved in dance:
- the frontal lobe is in charge of planning the movement
- the premotor cortex and the supplementary motor area they take care of our spatial position and allow us to remember previous actions
- the primary motor cortex sends instructions to the muscles
- the cerebellum and ganglia Basal levels keep us in balance and allow synchronization of movement.
The dance and the necessary coordination of movements
The coordinated movement of the body parts and the proper body alignment favor the correct functioning of the different systems of the organism, especially the nervous system that is responsible, among other things, for creating the necessary processes to produce movement.
"When we dance or do another type of physical exercise, we are working and stimulating different areas of the brain, and in the neurological patient some studies have observed a double benefit of the dance: on the one hand, the positive effect of performing physical exercise, such as in any healthy person, and on the other, stimulate the areas of the brain that facilitate balance and coordination of movement, "says Dr. Pablo Irimia.
The physical exercise that takes place when dancing could contribute to reduce the risk of developing diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, depression, obesity and would help reduce stress. Therefore, dancing could decrease the risk of different neurological diseases such as stroke or dementia of both Alzheimer's and vascular dementia.
In addition, since motor alterations are one of the most important symptoms and that most affect the quality of life in many of the neurological diseases, some experts maintain that dance can help in the rehabilitation of pathologies such as Parkinson's disease in phases. initials, and reduce the risk of falls in older people.
Marisol Nuevo Espín
Advice: Dr. Pablo Irimia, Member of the Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN)
