As a former cross country runner, running more a way of life than a thing I do for exercise. While I’m certainly not as fast as I once was, running still is a way for me to clear my mind and think. Thus, Dr. Williams’ talk seemed particularly relevant to my life. In particular, I found it interesting that the benefits of increased aerobic capacity could be observed regardless of the source of the increase. So while someone who is naturally at a high aerobic may have an initially higher rate of neurogenesis, through exercise it may be possible for someone at a lower level on initial fitness to experience the same benefit.
Besides making me feel better about waking up at 7:00 for summer practices over the last 6 years, Dr. William’s research brings up several questions. First, if increased aerobic capacity promotes neurogenesis in adult mice, does it also supplement neurogenesis in younger mice which are still undergoing higher levels of development? Second, has exercise induced neurogenesis been considered as a treatment for strokes?
