Clinical physical exercise trial finds changes in mood and new neuron production
A clinical trial published in npj Aging suggests that a three-month exercise program improves mood and promotes new neuron production in middle-aged adults. The study focused on the hippocampus, a brain region critical for memory and cognition.
Why it matters
This research provides empirical evidence for the cognitive and mental health benefits of physical activity during the middle-age transition.
edited by Gaby Clark , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add as preferred source Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A new clinical trial led by researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience has found that exercise has a significant effect on mood and lab-based measures of new brain cell formation in healthy middle-aged participants.
The Neurofit study investigated the effect of a three-month exercise intervention program on cognitive performance, mood and biological indicators of new neuron production in middle age. Previous studies have found middle age to be a period of increased psychological distress and changes in cognition. This period can coincide with a reduction in physical activity because of changes in work or social patterns.
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