Exercise is important for your body and your brain at any age. A new study reveals how physical activity may slow the decline in learning and memory as you get older.
Researchers looked at the brains of young and old mice. Some had access to a running wheel in their cage, while others did not. The team found changes in the part of the brain called the hippocampus. This area is important for learning and memory.
Older mice that were physically active had more brain cells called neurons in the hippocampus and made fewer errors on learning and memory tasks.
The team then injected older, less active mice with blood plasma from other mice. Older mice given plasma from active mice showed increases in neurons, learning, and memory performance similar to active mice….