This phenomenon has been linked to exercise, with a significant portion of subsequent neural growth occurring in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus ( Cotman and Berchtold, 2002). However, it has been shown that-contrary to the age-old notion that the number of neurons in the brain remains static after prenatal and neonatal development-new neurons can be generated in the adult brain via a process known as neurogenesis, which can attenuate the deleterious effects of neurodegeneration ( van Praag et al., 1999). Yet, until recently, the intermediaries between exercise and its health benefits have not been well-understood. Most notably, exercise has been implicated in having anti-depressant effects and counteracting disease or age-related mental impairment and atrophy, such as Alzheimer's disease or dementia ( Laurin et al., 2001). It has now been established that exercise, even among minimal commitment exercise routines, has an array of robust effects on the brain, such as enhanced memory, mood, cognitive functioning, plasticity, and learning capabilities ( Erickson et al., 2011 Spalding et al., 2013 Phillips et al., 2014). Limitations and future areas of research with regards to human neurogenesis will thus be discussed, including indirect measures of neurogenesis and single nucleotide polymorphisms within the BDNF gene.įor centuries, researchers have sought to elucidate the mechanisms behind the axiom that a healthy body leads to a healthy mind. Due to the inaccessibility of the human brain, much less is known about the role BDNF plays in human hippocampal neurogenesis.
Specifically, what is known about exercise-mediated hippocampal neurogenesis will be presented as it relates to BDNF to highlight the critical role that it plays. Although much more is known about the direct role that exercise and BDNF have on hippocampal neurogenesis in rodents, their corresponding cognitive benefits in humans will also be discussed.
As a member of the neurotrophin family, BDNF regulates many of the processes within neurogenesis, such as differentiation and survival. The present review synthesizes the extant literature detailing the relationship between exercise and hippocampal neurogenesis, and identifies a key molecule mediating this process, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). One potential link connecting them is exercise-mediated hippocampal neurogenesis, in which new neurons are generated and incorporated into hippocampal circuits. Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United StatesĮxercise is known to have numerous neuroprotective and cognitive benefits, especially pertaining to memory and learning related processes.
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