Infographic: Exercise’s Effects on the Brain

Identifying the molecular interactions that occur all over the body during exercise could reveal how it affects learning and memory.

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Physical activity increases the volume of the brain’s hippocampus and improves learning and memory in mice and humans. Mouse studies have linked these effects to the growth and maturation of new neurons. Now, researchers are beginning to unravel the molecular mechanisms that connect exercise to these cognitive benefits.

Exercise influences levels of neurotrophins, proteins that promote the proliferation of neurons and support their function. Physical activity enhances DNA demethylation in the promoter region of the Bdnf gene, increasing the expression of the neurogenesis-boosting signaling factor. Moreover, histone acetylation appears to loosen chromatin to bolster Bdnf transcription.

Exercise leads to the secretion of molecules by muscle and fat cells that affect levels of growth factors in the brain, influencing the shape and function of the hippocampus by accelerating new neuron growth and increasing the volume of the brain region.

In the sperm of male mice that exercise, the abundance of certain ...

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Meet the Author

  • Ashley Yeager

    Ashley started at The Scientist in 2018. Before joining the staff, she worked as a freelance editor and writer, a writer at the Simons Foundation, and a web producer at Science News, among other positions. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a master’s degree in science writing from MIT. Ashley edits the Scientist to Watch and Profile sections of the magazine and writes news, features, and other stories for both online and print.

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November 2018

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