New brain cells (green) are induced by exerciseHENRIETTE VAN PRAAG AND LINDA KITABAYASHIWorking out is good for the brain. Now, a team of scientists from the U.S. and Germany has a clearer idea why. A protein called cathepsin B, produced and secreted by muscle during exercise, is required for exercise-induced memory improvement and brain cell production in mice, the scientists reported in Cell Metabolism today (June 23). They also showed that levels of cathepsin B are positively correlated with fitness and memory in humans.
“This is a super exciting area. Exercise has so many health benefits, yet we know so little about many of these effects at a molecular level,” said biologist David James of the University of Sydney who did not participate in the work.
“This paper provides a convincing mechanism that involves running-induced increases in a particular protein—cathepsin B—that appears to promote neurogenesis by enhancing expression of a growth factor—BDNF—in the brain,” added neuroscientist Paul Frankland of the University of Toronto who also was not involved in the study. “This is a long chain of events, from exercise to muscle to brain to cognition,” he said, “but the authors do a great job at demonstrating each of the links.”
Running has been shown in animals to have ...
