# PHYSICAL EXERCISE, MENTAL ACTIVITY, AND BRAIN PLASTICITY

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN · 1993 · $73,308

## Abstract

This research addresses 1) age-related declines in the intrinsic
capacity of the brain to exhibit plastic change of a type thought
to be involved in memory formation, 2) effects of physical exercise
upon the morphology of the aging brain, and 3) effects of mental
activity the morphology of the brain.  A central aspect of the
approach is the increasingly strong evidence that the formation
and/or stabilization of synaptic connections between nerve cells
is involved in memory and related forms of brain information
storage.  In the aging human and animal brain, there is evidence
that the declines apparent in memory are paralleled by the loss of
synapses, a reduced ability to form new synapses, or both.  The
underlying causes of these changes in the aging brain are unknown,
and determining what they are is the chief goal of this research
project.  The causes could be intrinsic to the brain or could
involve physiological-metabolic support systems such as the
cardiovascular system.  The brain or peripheral systems could, as
recent work suggests, be modulated by behavioral variables such as
physical exercise or mental activity.  The hypotheses to be tested
involve the following questions: 1) does the aging brain have a
diminished ability to generate new synaptic connections between
neurons?  2) Does physical exercise affect number of or
inducibility of synaptic connections, perhaps through general
effects upon vascular or other metabolic support ? 3) Does physical
exercise affect brain vasculature or metabolism in general?  4)
Does motor learning (of an "acrobatic" task) affect the number of
synaptic connections in brain regions likely to be heavy involved
in performance of the task?  5) Does more general "mental exercise"
arising from living in a complex environment affect brain metabolic
or connectivity measures?  And 6) Does additional physical exercise
potentiate the effects of living in a complex environment?  The
hypotheses are to be tested using qantitative morphological
methodology, combining light and electron microscopy to assess
numbers of synapses per neuron, synaptic and neuronal density,
vascular morphology, and mitochondrial volume fraction.  These
questions are critical to an understanding of the factors involved
in the brain aging process and associated declines in learning,
memory, and other aspects of mental performance and well-being.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3122124
- **Project number:** 5R01AG010154-06
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
- **SAM.gov UEI:** Y8CWNJRCNN91
- **Principal Investigator:** WILLIAM T GREENOUGH
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1993
- **Award amount:** $73,308
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1991-04-01 → 1994-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3122124

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3122124, PHYSICAL EXERCISE, MENTAL ACTIVITY, AND BRAIN PLASTICITY (5R01AG010154-06). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3122124. Licensed CC0.

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