Topic: code stability

In addition to maintaining a healthy body, physical activity benefits the brain, improving memory and cognition. While some of the physiological effects of voluntary exercise on the brain are known (e.g., increased hippocampal neurogenesis), little is known about its effects on the neural code. Using longitudinal Ca2+ imaging in freely behaving mice and tracking the same neurons over weeks, we studied how voluntary exercise affects the quality and long-term stability of hippocampal place codes. In addition to increasing neurogenesis, we found that running accelerated the emergence of spatial c