Reading through the latest issue of Neurology Today, came across some interesting tidbits on how beneficial exercise can be for your brain:

• As mentioned in earlier posts, exercise leads to the creation of new brain cells in the hippocampus (the memory engine of the brain)
• A study from the Annals of Internal Medicine reveals that seniors who exercise three or more times per week were 60 percent less likely than their sedentary counterparts to develop dementia during the course of the six-year study
• Dr. Muriel Koehl and colleagues from the University of Bordeaux now believe that beta-endorphin, which is released during exercise, may play a pivotal role in regulating new brain cell growth. Endorphins are morphine like chemicals in the brain that mediate pleasure.
• A study from Neurology found that vigorous exercise in youth reduced the risk of Parkinson’s disease in men by 60 percent.

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