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Some Exercises Benefit The Brain More Than Others
Through a brain study to examine the ways in which exercise can affect the brain, researchers show that some exercises benefit above others.
The team demonstrated its results after conducting experiments on lab rodents that went through aerobic, high interval intensity and weight training, says The New York Times Blog.
The University of Jyvaskyla in Finland scientists explain that aerobics are the most advantageous to the "adult hippocampal neurogenesis", or AHN.
"Aerobic exercise, such as running, has positive effects on brain structure and function, for example, adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) and learning," said the study. Compared to sedentary animals, the highest number of doublecortin-positive hippocampal cells was observed in HRT rats that ran voluntarily on a running wheel while HIT on the treadmill had a smaller, statistically non-significant effect on AHN."
A particular substance permitting the tracking of new brain cells was given to the team, and another set of sedentary rodents was part of a control group.
Even though the study involved rats, not humans, Miriam Nokia, a research fellow leader of the study, believes that it could still indicate that "sustained aerobic exercise might be most beneficial for brain health also in humans."
The research is published in the Journal of Physiology.
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