“The brains of mice and rats that were allowed to run on wheels pulsed with vigorous, newly born neurons, and those animals then breezed through mazes and other tests of rodent I.Q., showing that neurogenesis improves thinking.”
"If ever exercise enthusiasts wanted a rationale for what they’re doing, this should be it,” Dr. Kessler says. Exercise, he says, through a complex interplay with Noggin and BMP, helps to ensure that neuronal stem cells stay lively and new brain cells are born. "
The article goes on to say that the positive effect of exercise plateau a some point:
"Still, if there’s not yet any discernible ceiling on brain-healthy exercise, there is a floor. You have to do something. Walk, jog, swim, pedal — the exact amount or intensity of the exercise required has not been determined, although it appears that the minimum is blessedly low. In mice, Mr. Gage says, “even a fairly short period” of exercise “and a short distance seems to produce results.”
More is not better a some point. It appears that there is a higher marginal return for doing somewhat less than you can withstand rather than doing all the exercise you can withstand. That is a result I can work with.
Past blog entries on the subject of cognitive development:
Exercise is the best studied thing you can do to your brain
Strenuous exercise and cognitive development
