Current Biology
Published: June 16, 2016
Properly timed physical exercise can alter mnemonic processes at delayed retrieval and improve memory retention over a period of at least 48 hr. This finding is in line with previous studies reporting beneficial effects of physical exercise (for a review, see [15]) and highlights its potential as a memory intervention in humans. The economic, healthy, and practical nature of exercise makes it ideal for interventions in educational and clinical settings. Our experiment thus serves as a proof of principle study that could inspire future applications of exercise to boost long-term memory in various populations.
We would like to stress that much is yet unknown about the molecular mechanisms of consolidation in humans. The timing of early consolidation processes is as yet poorly understood, and we do not know whether the molecular factors critical in animal models play similar roles in humans. In addition, by necessity, human studies generally use correlational analyses and peripheral measures of the physiological effects of exercise when investigating the mnemonic impact of exercise. It remains unclear how serum levels of, e.g., BDNF, dopamine, and noradrenaline relate to local changes in consolidation factors in the neural circuits important for long-term memory. As such, our speculations on possible mechanistic explanations of our findings should be interpreted with caution.
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