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[log in to unmask] (Liza May)

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Running increases cell proliferation and neurogenesis in the adult
mouse dentate gyrus

              Exposure to an enriched environment increases
              neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of adult rodents.
              Environmental enrichment, however, typically consists of
              many components, such as expanded learning
              opportunities, increased social interaction, more physical
              activity and larger housing. We attempted to separate
              components by assigning adult mice to various
              conditions: water-maze learning (learner), swim-time-yoked
              control (swimmer), voluntary wheel running (runner), and
              enriched (enriched) and standard housing (control)
              groups. Neither maze training nor yoked swimming had
              any effect on bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-positive cell
              number. However, running doubled the number of
              surviving newborn cells, in amounts similar to enrichment
              conditions. Our findings demonstrate that voluntary
              exercise is sufficient for enhanced neurogenesis in the
              adult mouse dentate gyrus.

Henriette van Praag1, Gerd Kempermann1, 2 & Fred H. Gage1;
Nature Neuroscience; March 1999 Volume 2 Number 3 pp 266 - 270