How Exercise May Help Keep Our Memory Sharp

August 25, 2021

Irisin, a hormone produced by muscles during exercise, can enter the brain and improve cognition, a mouse study suggests. NYT

An intriguing new study shows how exercise may bolster brain health. The study was in mice, but it found that a hormone produced by muscles during exercise can cross into the brain and enhance the health and function of neurons, improving thinking and memory in both healthy animals and those with a rodent version of Alzheimer’s disease. Earlier research shows that people produce the same hormone during exercise, and together the findings suggest that moving could alter the trajectory of memory loss in aging and dementia.