If you find yourself forgetting names or misplacing your keys, have no fear. New research suggests that you may be able to boost your memory by getting on your feet and going for regular runs.
According to the study, researchers uncovered a protein in mice that fuels exercise-induced neuron growth. Researchers say the protein cathepsin B can be traced from the muscles to the brain in mice, and after a run, the levels of this protein in the blood increase.
“Rather than focus on a known factor, we did a screen for proteins that could be secreted by muscle tissue and transported to the brain, and among the most interesting candidates was cathepsin B,” said Henriette van Praag, a neuroscientist at the National Institute on Ageing in the US.
Researchers actually exposed muscle cells in a controlled environment to compounds that are released during exercise to mimic athletic activity. When this occurred, researchers noticed that the presence of cathepsin B production increased in the cultures. A similar increase was observed in mice that spent a lot of time on an exercise wheel.
Cathepsin B and Memory
The expression of this protein during exercise is interesting, but the benefits of its added presence are even more fascinating. Researchers conducted the test on two sets of mice. One set of mice could produce the protein during both sedentary and active periods, while the other group of mice was not able to produce the protein at all.
Over the course of one week, both groups of mice were placed in a shallow pool of water known as the Morris water maze. The maze is really just a small pool with a small platform hidden just below the surface in one area of the pool. Mice were put in the maze each day and timed to see how long it took them to find the platform, which was always positioned in the same location.
After being given the test for a few days, both groups of mice were able to find the platform. However, when both groups ran before their daily swim test, the mice who could produce the protein were better able to recall the location of the platform, while the mice that couldn’t produce cathepsin B could not recall its location.
“Nobody has shown before cathepsin B’s effect on spatial learning,” said van Praag.
But the effects of cathepsin B aren’t just limited to mice. Researchers say they’ve idenfitied an uptick during physical activity in three species.
“We also have converging evidence from our study that cathepsin B is upregulated in blood by exercise for three species – mice, Rhesus monkeys, and humans,” he said. “Moreover, in humans who exercise consistently for four months, better performance on complex recall tasks, such as drawing from memory, is correlated with increased cathepsin B levels.”
In the end, the study is just further proof of the extensive benefits of running. It builds our muscles, keeps our heart healthy, allows us to stay in shape, and it can help boost our memory!