Nature Neuroscience
2, 266 - 270 (1999)
doi:10.1038/6368
Running increases cell proliferation and neurogenesis in the adult mouse
dentate gyrusHenriette van Praag1, Gerd Kempermann1, 2
& Fred H. Gage11
Laboratory of Genetics, The Salk Institute for Biological
Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California
92037, USA
2
Department of Neurology, University of Regensburg,
Universitätsstr. 84, D-93053 Regensburg,
Germany
Correspondence should be addressed to Fred H. Gage fgage@salk.eduExposure 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.
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