Previous work showed improvements in rats; keeping them moving improved visual cortex connections, which affect eyesight. It was discovered that exercise can form new neural pathways to manifest in the brain, which may lead to beneficial side effects like strengthening amblyopia (lazy eye). Sedentary animals had comparably worse eyesight. Furthermore, rats that ran on a wheel showed improve function of lazy eye more quickly than sedentary ones. The recent study published in Current Biology showed the same could be true of humans.
Researchers tested 20 adults, first covering one eye on each participant as they relaxed and watched a movie. The covered eye is strengthened by attempting to compensate for the lack of visual input; a measurement of this change is an expression of the brain’s visual plasticity. While still wearing the patch, the study participants then rode a stationary bike for 10 minutes at a time while they rewatched the movie. The exercise wasn’t even particularly stressful — a pace not much faster than a walk.
Afterward, a simple visual test revealed the differences between the covered and uncovered eyes was more extreme after exercise. This implies that exercise, even moderate, short term exercise, can affect areas of the brain previously though resistant to change. The implication is that exercise may alter or improve other areas of the brain, specifically through adulthood.
