How Exercise Can Strengthen the Brain

 For the first time scientists showed that, in mice at least, exercise spurs the development of mitochondria in brain cells and may make the brain more fit, similar to the way exercise makes muscles stronger. Earlier studies have shown that exercise sparks neurogenesis, or the creation of entirely new brain cells. But the South Carolina scientists were not looking for new cells. They were looking inside existing ones to see if exercise was whipping those cells into shape, similar to the way that exercise strengthens muscle. Like muscles, many parts of the brain get a robust physiological workout during exercise. Dr. Davis,  a professor of exercise science at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina, speculates that re-energized brain cells could behave like mitochondrial-drenched muscle cells, becoming more resistant to fatigue and, since bodily fatigue is partly mediated by signals from the brain, allowing you to withstand more exercise. Best of all, the effort required to round your brain cells into shape is not daunting. A 30-minute jog, Dr. Davis says, is probably a good human equivalent of the workout that the mice completed.