McSnow's Raging Episcopalians

Are you willing to believe that aerobic exercise can actually make you smarter? Scientists across the globe have been studying the effects of exercise on the brain. They have been using a wide variety of test subjects from lab rats to college students to find out what happens to the brain when we workout. In one study in Taiwan scientists had two groups of mice swim a water maze and in a separate trial had them endure an unpleasant stimulus to see how quickly they would learn to move away from it. For the next four weeks they allowed one group of mice to run inside their rodent wheels. The mice who exercised were better at learning to avoid the unpleasant situation. Whereas the mice who didn't get on tiny treadmills had a harder time learning to stay away from the unpleasant stimuli (whatever it was?). The mice who exercised showed molecular changes to several parts of their brains and the the mice who didn't only showed changes in one part of their brains. So the conclusion of that study?:

“Our results support the notion that different forms of exercise induce neuroplasticity changes in different brain regions,” Chauying J. Jen, a professor of physiology and an author of the study

So what does that mean for us?Mr.Ratey, author of the upcoming book "Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain says:

Researchers are realizing that the mental effects of exercise are far more profound and complex than they once thought. The process starts in the muscles. Every time a bicep or quad contracts and releases, it sends out chemicals, including a protein called IGF-1 that travels through the bloodstream, across the blood-brain barrier and into the brain itself. There, IGF-1 takes on the role of foreman in the body's neurotransmitter factory. It issues orders to ramp up production of several chemicals, including one called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF.

Ratey, calls this molecule "Miracle-Gro for the brain." It fuels almost all the activities that lead to higher thought. So it is true that exercise can make you smarter! So why don't we all get out there and become more intelligent by running, jumping and playing.