t’s well known that exercise can improve a person’s mood and overall well being, but scientists say they’ve discovered how physical activity protects the brain from stress-related depression.
A study in mice showed exercise caused changes in muscle that purged the blood of substances that accumulate during stress.
Researchers exposed mice with high and normal levels of muscle protein for five weeks in a stressful environment.
The normal mice developed depressive behaviors, but those with well-trained muscle had no depression symptoms.
These findings may help researchers discover new ways to treat depression by focusing on muscle function, instead of the brain.
