The Lagos State University (LASU) on Tuesday said it had received a research grant of 4,000 pounds (about N1.03 million) from the Researchers’ Link Scheme of the British Council.
A Professor of Computer Science in LASU, Benjamin Aribisala, disclosed to Naija247news.com on tuesday in Lagos
The statement was issued by the State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.
It said the grant was given to the university to investigate the mechanism through which physical activities affect changes in the ageing brain.
The report of the study which is expected to commence in June and end in March 2015 will be published in international journals, the statement added.
It said the award which was given through Aribisala would allow for collaboration between him and Dr Alan Gow of Heriot-Watt University, United Kingdom, on clinical research.
“The focus of this study is to examine how levels and changes in physical activities are associated with brain changes in older adults and this requires a multi-disciplinary approach.
“As we age, there is a general reduction in the volume of grey matter (the thinking cells of the brain), and the integrity of the white matter (the wiring that connects different brain regions) also declines.
“The extent to which the declines occur varies from individual to individual and is associated with cognitive ageing-decline in memory, speed of thinking and reasoning,’’ it stressed.
The statement also anticipated that the study would proffer solutions on how to reduce the costs of health services for old people.
It added that it might also help identify intervention targets that would enable older adults to continue to live and function independently.
