Jocelyn KaiserIt’s well established that exercise can sharpen the mind: People and mice who work out do better on cognitive tests, and elderly people who are physically active reduce their risk of dementia.
Now, in a surprising finding, researchers report that blood from a mouse that exercises regularly can perk up the brain of a “couch potato” mouse.This effect, traced to a specific liver protein in the blood, could point the way to a drug that confers the brain benefits of exercise to an old or feeble person who rarely leaves a chair or bed.