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- Couch potatoes beware, a new study shows that not only
are people who exercise healthier, but they also have improved long-term
memory as well as an increased ability to learn. The findings are based
on research, published in the current issue of Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, that measured the responses and nerve growth in two
sets of mice. The first group exercised at will on a running mill for a
month, while a second group was sedentary. Both groups were taught to locate
a slightly submerged platform. The active mice swam directly toward the
platform while the inactive mice took a more circuitous route and seemed
to have trouble remembering how to find the platform. Following these tests
scientist compared samples of brain tissue and were able to conclude that
"voluntary running" stimulates the growth of nerve cells in adult
mice, a finding previously thought impossible in adult mammalian species.
"Until recently it was thought that the growth of new neurons or neurogenesis
did not occur in adults, but we now have evidence for it and it appears
that exercise helps this happen," said Dr. Terrence Sejnowski, the
study's author and an investigator at the Salk Institute for Biological
Study at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
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- The new nerve cell growth was concentrated within the
hippocampus, the part of the brain largely responsible for memory-related
processes including locating objects in the environment and consciously
recalling facts and episodes. The new findings support previous research,
which shows that exercise increases alertness, and helps people to think
more clearly. Scientists are hoping that the connection between exercise,
nerve cell growth and memory found in mice will follow through in humans
as well. "Exercise could help you remember the name of the person
you met yesterday or where you parked your car," said Sejnowski. "
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