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2016-06-28 15:26:16
Here's another reason to hit the gym
Working out might keep the brain sharp, and according to a new study,
exercising four hours after learning a task can improve memory.
In the new report, published Thursday in the journal Current Biology,
researchers found that exercising four hours after a memory task increased
brain patterns associated with memory, and helped people retain information
better than people who exercised immediately after or people who did not work
out.
Seventy two people partook in a picture-location memory task for about 40
minutes. Then, the people were either randomly assigned to 35 minutes of
exercise right away, exercise four hours later, or no exercise at all. Two days
later, the people came back to see how well they remembered what they had
learned, and their brains were scanned. The people who exercised hours later
had better recall and stronger and more clear activation in the areas of their
brain associated with memory retrieval.
There is good evidence from animal data that the release of certain
neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine leads to a biochemical cascade
leading to the production of so called plasticity related proteins, says study
author Guill n Fern ndez, director of the Donders Institute for Brain,
Cognition, and Behaviour at Radboud University Medical Center in an email to
TIME. These proteins help stabilize new memory traces, which would otherwise
be lost. Physical exercise is at the start of this sequence, because it is
accompanied by the release of dopamine and norepinephrine.
The idea that regular exercise has an impact on brain health, including memory,
has been reported in many studies and Fern ndez says the new report adds to the
evidence by showing a single session of exercise can aid in memory retention.
The number of people in the study is small, so it s hard to say whether people
should start pacing workouts exactly four hours after learning something
important. Still, the study authors argue that their study is a proof of
principal that exercise should be considered as a strategy for long-term
memory.