Impact of Physical Exercise on Brain Development
The rats were divided into four groups. The first group was performing in cages with running wheels which they could freely use anytime they wanted. The second group was exposed to high-intensity interval training (HITT) three times a week, and they were placed on treadmills and performed exercises that included pace running for 3 minutes followed by 2 minutes of pace running, with a total of 15 minutes running each time they exercised. The third group was performing weighted exercises, with a certain weight attached to their tails while climbing a ladder. The last group was sedentary.
All the rats were injected with a substance that was marking the development of new brain cells.
After the study was conducted, the researchers found that the rats that were exposed to aerobic voluntary training on running wheels had a remarkably increased number of new brain cells in the hippocampus area, and the greater the distance they ran the higher the level of neurogenesis was.
Exercise Types and Their Effects on Brain Development
The rats that were exposed to resistance training and the sedentary rats didn’t show any significant neuron development and their results were quite similar. Although the resistance training didn’t show any improvements in the development, at the end of the study these rats had significant improvement in strength.
Aerobic Exercise Boosts Brain Growth and Memory
According to the scientists who conducted the study, tance running promotes a release of a substance known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which is known to have an impact on neurogenesis. The study also showed that the greater the distance the rat ran, the greater the amount of released BDNF was. On the other hand, the resistance training had little effeeffectthe BDNF release at tin rats that were exposed to weight training.
Consequently, the scientist concluded that to maximally promote brain neurogenesis, the performed exercises should be aerobic and sustained.
Even though the study was conducted on rats, scientists believe that these kinds of exercises have similar effects on human development. Therefore, incorporating both, aerobic and anaerobic exercises into your workout routines, would not only benefit your physical health but your mental as well.
P.S.
The hippocampus is part of the brain that is responsible for forming, organizing, and storing memory. It acts as a memory indexer by sending memories out to the appropriate part of the brain for long-term storage and then retrieves them when necessary.