We know that exercise is great for us in many ways, including the benefits of running for our brains. But a recent study has shed more light on why running specifically in midlife could make all the difference to our cognitive function. We hardly need any more reasons to run, but we love hearing news like this. We break down the science and find out how we can use it to our advantage…
What did the study find?
The study involved separating a group of middle-aged mice into two groups. One group was given access to a running wheel and the other wasn’t. The findings showed that ‘long-term running increases hippocampal neurogenesis and modifies the network of new neurons that were born in young adult mice, in a manner that optimally supports memory function at middle age’. If you haven’t recently brushed up on your scientific vocabulary, don’t worry! We’ve asked an expert to explain to us what it means.
How does brain health work?
It’s all to do with neurogenesis, which is the process by which new neurons (nerve cells) are formed in the brain. We’ve always known that neurogenesis happens in a developing embryo. We now also know that it continues in certain brain regions after birth and throughout our lifespan.
Dr Alice Penn, a medical doctor now turned brain…
