Aerobic Exercise And Learning

Aerobic exercise has been shown to improve learning and memory through its influence on the function of individual neurons, or the constituent cells of the brain. This occurs through a variety of adaptations occurring in neural tissues as a result of physical activity.

Your Brain on Exercise

The brain and spinal cord are commonly viewed as rigid, central command systems, impermeable to outside influence and resistant to change. The delicate, refined nature of neural systems seems to set them apart as drivers of evolution, rather than something that can be driven by outside influences. In reality, maintaining your competitive edge requires the central nervous system to remain highly adaptive and malleable to experiences in your external environment. To meet this demand, your system has developed retrograde systems, running in parallel with muscle control pathways, for feeding back information from the periphery into the brain. Through these neural adaptations, the human brain is intricately affected by, and actively responds to, physical activity in peripheral structures such as skeletal muscle. In this manner, aerobic exercise ultimately alters the function of individual neurons and neural networks, thus improving the brain's capacity to learn.

Neuroplasticity

Your brain stores information through a process known as neuroplasticity. The ability of your neurons to form new connections, or synapses, with other neurons determines their ability to learn skills and remember events. Ideas, thoughts and memories are all created through unique synaptic connections between neurons; they are the building blocks of our consciousness. The more "plastic," or malleable, your neural networks remain, the greater their potential for rewiring and organizing themselves based on new experiences.

Mechanisms of Change

To support changes in cognitive function, the central nervous system employs several molecular mechanisms capable of producing changes in tissue energy supply and function. According to a 2010 article entitled "Biological Mechanisms of Physical Activity in Preventing Cognitive Decline," the brain will respond to aerobic exercise by creating more neurons, increasing the number of synaptic connections between these neurons, and producing more blood vessels in areas of the brain responsible for learning. These changes are regulated by a number of signaling molecules and hormones that allow for communication between cells and the coordinated adaptation of neural tissues.

Physiological Adaptations

According to a 2008 article from the journal "Neuromolecular Medicine," both energy expenditure and intake affect the function of the central nervous system. Generally, there appears to be a relationship between your body's metabolic efficiency and the health of the hippocampus, a region of your brain that is essential for learning and memory. Exercise and caloric restriction have been shown to improve neuroplasticity, or the ability of your brain cells to form new connections. Conversely, researchers have discovered a link between excess caloric intake and impaired neural function.

Exercise as Treatment

Following a traumatic brain injury or stroke, many patients experience difficulties with memory, which limit their independence and quality of life. While anyone can benefit from the effects of aerobic exercise on learning and memory, research shows that aerobic exercise can significantly improve brain function that has been impaired in patients following brain injury. These benefits are the result of improved blood flow to the brain, changes in brain chemical levels and increasing neurogenesis, or neuron growth. Additionally, aerobic exercise has been shown to increase resistance to further brain injury during recovery.