Exercise May Boost Memory Signals In The Brain

Source: Brain communications

Summary

This study looked at how a single session of exercise may change brain activity linked to memory. The researchers studied people with epilepsy who were in the hospital for pre-surgery testing and already had electrodes placed inside the brain. They recorded brain activity while patients were resting awake, both before and after exercise.

After exercise, the hippocampus, a brain area important for memory, showed more of certain fast brain signals called ripples. Exercise also increased how strongly these ripple signals lined up between the hippocampus and parts of the cortex, including brain networks involved in memory and internal thought. People who reached a higher heart rate during exercise tended to show bigger increases in these resting brain signals afterward.

This matters because it gives direct human evidence that exercise may quickly affect memory-related brain circuits. It may help explain why exercise can improve thinking and memory in the short term. But the study was small and only included people with epilepsy being evaluated for surgery, so the findings may not fully apply to everyone.

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