Brain training - new insights into why exercise boosts memory

- Mon, 22 Oct 2007

Why does going for a brisk walk or doing aerobic exercise makes you feel more clear-headed? Scientists at MIT in New York have discovered that as well as pumping oxygen to the body's cells, blood may affect the activity of neurons (memory cells) in the brain as it flows through, changing how they transmit signals to each other and regulating the flow of information through the brain.

"Many lines of evidence suggest that the blood does something more interesting than just delivering supplies. If it does modulate how neurons receive signals, that changes how we think the brain works," researcher Christopher Moore said in the Journal of Neurophysiology.

Moore has found that blood contains elements that could leak out of blood vessels and affect brain activity. Changes in blood volume, such as increasing the heart rate with exercise, effect the concentration of these factors. Neurons may also react to the mechanical forces applied to them when blood vessels expand and contract. Blood also influences the temperature of the brain tissue, which affects the activity of the cells.

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