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exercise

This shows a woman listening to music while running on a treadmill.

·February 27, 2026·6 min read

Music May Not Boost Focus or Mood During Exercise

A major review finds that the mental boost we expect from listening to music while exercising is inconsistent and often disappears during intense workouts.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 22, 2026·7 min read

Could an “Exercise Pill” Help Treat Depression?

Exercise is medicine, but what if you can't take the dose? Scientists explore "exercise mimetics"—pills that trick your brain into thinking you've just finished a workout.

This shows the outline of a person running. Their brain is highlighted, as are their muscles.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 19, 2026·8 min read

Hypothalamus Signal Build Endurance After Exercise

A new study reveals that SF1 neurons in the hypothalamus are required for the body to gain endurance after exercise, acting as a master coordinator for muscle remodeling.

This shows a brain and a person working out.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 12, 2026·6 min read

Neural Afterburn: Brain Rewires Itself to Boost Endurance

Building endurance isn't just about muscles, it's about the brain. New research suggests that a specific "afterburn" of brain activity following a workout is the secret to getting stronger, effectively rewiring your neural circuits to power your heart and lungs.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 15, 2025·4 min read

Exercise Supercharges Hormone Transport to the Brain

Physical exercise triggers extracellular vesicles (EVs)—tiny particles in the blood—to act as temporary transport shuttles for key hormone precursors. During vigorous exercise, levels of the hormone precursor POMC attaching to EVs increase fourfold, suggesting a newly uncovered mechanism for how stress, energy balance, and mood may shift after movement.

This shows a woman running while listening to music.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 7, 2025·4 min read

Adaptive Music Tech Makes Workouts More Fun, Helps People Stay Active

Researchers have shown that adaptive music systems that adjust tempo and rhythm to match a user’s movement can make exercise significantly more enjoyable and motivating. These personalized interactive music systems use real-time data from wearables to keep music aligned with walking, cycling, or weightlifting intensity, helping users stay in rhythm and maintain effort.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 24, 2025·6 min read

Swap 30 Minutes of Sitting for Light Activity to Boost Next-Day Mood

New research reveals that replacing even 30 minutes of sitting with light physical activity—like walking or doing household chores—can boost mood and energy the following day. The study tracked over 350 young adults using wearable monitors to assess daily movement patterns.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 14, 2025·8 min read

Exercise Boosts Women’s Brain Power More Than Ovulation Timing

While women’s reaction times and accuracy peak during ovulation, physical activity level plays a far greater role in cognitive performance. Inactive participants had reaction times around 70 milliseconds slower and made three times as many impulsive errors compared to active women, regardless of menstrual phase.

This shows a person exercising and a brain.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·September 23, 2025·5 min read

Lactate Infusions Mimic Exercise’s Brain-Boosting Benefits

A new study shows that the brain benefits of exercise may be partly replicated with an IV infusion of lactate, the by-product of intense physical activity. Researchers found that such infusions increased pro-BDNF levels in the blood—molecules linked to brain growth and resilience—without requiring exercise.

This shows a person running and a brain.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 21, 2025·5 min read

High-Intensity Exercise May Protect Against Cocaine Addiction

A new study shows that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is more effective than moderate exercise at protecting adolescent lab animals from cocaine use. Animals exposed to HIIT developed a preference for non-drug environments and an aversion to cocaine, linked to increases in ΔFosB, a molecular switch involved in addiction.

This shows older people walking in a park and a brain.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·September 16, 2025·7 min read

Lifestyle Changes Show Power to Prevent Alzheimer’s

A growing body of research underscores that Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline are not inevitable parts of aging. Lifestyle interventions targeting exercise, diet, social engagement, and cognitive stimulation have been shown in large clinical trials to improve brain function and slow decline.

This shows an older man on an exercise bike in a hospital. A nurse is at his side. On the cycle is a monitor with a brain game.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·August 3, 2025·7 min read

Cycling Boosts Brain Function in Parkinson’s Disease

A new study reveals that long-term adaptive cycling can measurably reshape brain signals in people with Parkinson’s Disease, offering clues into how exercise relieves motor symptoms. Researchers used deep brain stimulation (DBS) implants to track neural activity before and after 12 sessions of dynamic cycling.