Running in pregnancy transiently increases postnatal hippocampal neurogenesis in the offspring

Activity influences brain anatomy and function across the lifespan of the individual. While it is generally assumed that activity provides positive stimuli to the brain that, in turn, contribute to successful aging, very little is known about the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of physical and cognitive activity on brain ​“plasticity“. It is known, however, that both types of activity influence stem cells in the adult hippocampus, a brain structure centrally involved in learning and memory. Exercise, for example, promotes the development of new neurons from these precursor cells (adult neurogenesis).

Now, Dr.Anika Bick-Sander and colleagues (laboratory of Dr. Gerd Kempermann) have presented their findings as to whether such an effect might also be transferred from an exercising pregnant mother to her developing offspring ( PNAS 2006 10.1073/pnas.0502644103) . Surprisingly, the answer is yes. Although the pups of the exercising mothers were born slightly underweight, they quickly caught up with the offspring of sedentary mothers within a few weeks postnatally. Importantly, however, development of the hippocampus, which also appeared somewhat slowed intrauterinely in the ​“runner progeny”, even surpassed the control group. At the end, the dentate gyrus of the runner pups contained 40% more granule cell neurons than the control pups. This study suggests that (at least in mice) maternal activity during pregnancy and lactation directly effects brain development in the offspring. While this data in mice cannot be translated into recommendations for humans, the study suggests that related research on human mothers might be rewarding.

Contact:

Pamela Cohen
p.​cohen@​mdc-​berlin.​de
+49 30 9406 2121