How To Keep A Brain Sharp: Run

Reading and doing puzzles and playing bridge are all good for keeping aging brains young, but there’s something else that should be thrown in the mix: exercise. Researchers at the University of Queensland have found that exercise dramatically reversed a natural decline in active neural stem cells, which generate new nerve cells in the brain, and they think they know why.  A UQ news release reports that scientists at the university’s Brain Institute attribute the stem cell growth in aging mice to an increase in Growth Hormone, which was evident in mice who ran on wheels, but not in those who lounged around. To test the theory, the researchers blocked the action of GH in the brains of the running animals, and what happened? There was no increase in Growth Hormone. Read more from the University of Queensland.  Read the study here.