Running enhances spatial pattern separation in mice.

Authors

David J Creer, Laboratory of Neurosciences, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD 21224
Carola Romberg, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
Lisa M Saksida, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom & Medical Research Council and Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neurosciences Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
Henriette van Praag, Laboratory of Neurosciences, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD 21224
Timothy J Bussey, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom & Medical Research Council and Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neurosciences Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-2-2010

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Volume

107

Issue

5

First Page

2367

Last Page

2372

URL with Digital Object Identifier

10.1073/pnas.0911725107

Abstract

Increasing evidence suggests that regular exercise improves brain health and promotes synaptic plasticity and hippocampal neurogenesis. Exercise improves learning, but specific mechanisms of information processing influenced by physical activity are unknown. Here, we report that voluntary running enhanced the ability of adult (3 months old) male C57BL/6 mice to discriminate between the locations of two adjacent identical stimuli. Improved spatial pattern separation in adult runners was tightly correlated with increased neurogenesis. In contrast, very aged (22 months old) mice had impaired spatial discrimination and low basal cell genesis that was refractory to running. These findings suggest that the addition of newly born neurons may bolster dentate gyrus-mediated encoding of fine spatial distinctions.