Why I Win at Jeopardy

A new study finds that exercise stimulates the growth of new brain cells in rats. And since I like cheese, I'm going to make the logical jump and conclude that the athletic life I've lead is the root behind my boundless mental capacity.

“In the depressed rats, running had an antidepressant-like effect after running for 30 days,” Bjornebekk told LiveScience. The once-slothful rodents spent much more time in active swimming compared with the non-running depressed rats. The researchers also examined the hippocampus region of the brain, involved in learning and memory. Neurons there increased dramatically in the depressed rats after wheel-running.

Past studies have found that the human brain’s hippocampus shrinks in depressed individuals, a phenomenon thought to cause some of the mental problems often linked with depression.

You can read the full article at Livescience.com by clicking here.