Physical exercises boost your memory.
(Mirror Daily, United States) – Based on the latest research, physical exercises are closely connected with your memory. The first step was when scientists discovered that doing fitness four hours after studying helped people memorize the information easier.
Then, further investigation revealed that there is a protein that makes our brains better. According to Henriette van Praag, study author and brain science investigator at the National Institute on Aging, our brain does more than just responding to physical exercises.
Furthermore, during that time, muscles release a protein that leads to new connections and cells in the memory part of the brain.
It means that the more fitness we do, the better our memory becomes. In addition to this, this relation between physical exercises and memory has caught the attention of more and more scientists. After accounting for all substances produced by muscle cells during fitness, Henriette’s team discovered that cathepsin B is the protein that boosts memory.
However, cathepsin B has a bad reputation because it was previously related to cell death and other types of health conditions because tumor cells usually produce it. Worse, it was found in brain plaques related to Alzheimer’s disease.
Even so, the study showed that this protein contributes in the growth of new connections and cells in the memory-related-part of the brain, also known as the hippocampus. Experts first did an experiment on mice to see how they reacted after a long time on the exercise wheel.
Therefore, they learned that the little rodents performed better in a memory test, during which they had to find a hidden platform under the surface of a pool. Plus, they discovered that the protein released by the muscles led to a cell growth.
Then, the team did the experiment again on larger animals, and they discovered the same thing, that cathepsin B caused a boost in the memory of the animals. In addition to this, they decided to make a research on 43 people as well to see if the ‘rule’ also applies to us.
It is worth mentioning that the people participating in the study were university students who had not been doing any physical workout. According to Dr. Emrah Duzel, team member and neurologist from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, the students were divided into two groups. One of them went under a four-month intensive workout to determine if the protein will have the same effect on them.
Based on the results, these students developed a better memory. After seeing a geometric pattern, they were able to reproduce it after a few minutes.
Image Source:El Cuerpo