Of Exercising Mice and Men

A recent study shows that mice experience cognitive benefits simply by getting 40 minutes of medium-intensity exercise. Furthermore, mice that were couch potatoes showed similar brain improvements when they received fecal transplants from the mice that exercised moderately. In other words, the introduction of microbes from exercising mice into lazy mice indicates a connection to the gut-brain axis. The bacteria that interact with the brains of exercising mice induced cognitive benefits in the sedentary mice, despite the fact that they had not exercised. Even though male rodents were used in the study, mice and men are not the same, and the results do not automatically transfer from one species to the other. However, in trying to understand the communication that goes on between the brain and the gut, this study shows some fascinating results that are worth further investigation and research, especially in regard to the potential of tackling cognitive issues in humans, exercising or otherwise.