Jogging Boosts Brain Power

Friday, January 22, 2010, 13:24

Jogging a couple of days a week can significantly improve memory, say researchers.

The study led by Cambridge University showed that running triggered the growth of hundreds of new brain cells in a region that is linked to the formation and recollection of memories.

During the study, researchers followed two groups of mice, one of which had unlimited access to a running and the other group was confined to a limited space.

The mice were placed in front of a computer screen, which displayed two identical squares side by side. According to the study, if they nudged the one on the left with their nose they received a sugar pellet reward and if they nudged the one on the right, they got nothing. The mice were then subjected to a memory test where the more they nudged the correct square, the better they scored.

The findings revealed that the running mice scored nearly twice as high as the control group during the memory test.

Similarly, the human brain shows improved retaining power if the body is exposed to running and jogging.