For thousands of years we have known that exercise is a key to a healthy body, but only recently, and until now anecdotally, have scientists considered that exercise enhances existing mental acuity. This question spawned a new study at the University of South Carolina during which scientists compared mice who ran for an hour each day with mice who remained sedentary. The results have important implications for neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. While earlier studies demonstrate that exercise prompts neurogenesis, creation of new brain cells, nothing to date has considered the effect of exercise on existing neural networks. The scientists at South Carolina wanted to see if exercise will actually make an existing brain better and more healthy. Exercise’s ability ...
