Exercising may help boost memory because it triggers a protein which boosts brain cell growth, scientists believe.
For several years, researchers have noticed that aerobic exercise, of the kind which gets the heart pumping, also appears to improve memory and learning. But nobody knew how.
Now researchers at the National Institute on Ageing in the US have discovered that when muscles exercise they produce a protein called cathepsin B which travels to the brain and triggers neuron growth.
The team has also shown that the levels of the protein soars when humans exercise.
“Overall, the message is that a consistently healthy lifestyle pays off,” said senior author Dr Henriette van Praag, a neuroscientist at theNational Institute on Aging in the United States. – READ MORE
