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54). It Has Been Shown That Mice With Running Wheels In Their Cages Are Able ...

54). It has been shown that mice with running wheels in their cages are able to generate new neurons and develop better brains than those without them. This enhanced brain development enables mice to performed better on search and find tasks and memory skills tasks, suggesting the value of exercise when compared with a sedentary lifestyle (van Pragg et al., 1999, cited in Jensen, 2006, p.55). It has been shown that exercise can lead to an increase in the rate of neurogenesis in the hippocampus which is important for memory function (Ahmadiasl et al., 2003, p.106).
Terence Sejnowski, from the Salk Institute for Biological studies says in respect of the long held belief that neurogenesis does not occur in the mammalian brain:
But we now have evidence for it, and it appears that exercise helps this happen. (Sejnowski in sciencedaily.com).
Hormones:
Hormones are produced in the brain in response to a variety of stimuli. The balance of hormones must be at the correct level to facilitate mental health and optimal learning.
There is a strong link between emotions and learning, with the emotions we experience being strongly linked to the release of hormones in the brain. Many of these are important for the emotional state of the learner, in relation to the learning environment and the content of the learning. When a curriculum concept struggles with an emotion, the emotion almost always wins (Sousa, 2006, 53). This has important implications for the learning process, and learning will be most effective if the emotions associated with it are positive ones. Exercise has been shown to produce adrenaline which is associated with positive feelings that lead to effective learning.
When students feel positive about their learning endorphins are released producing feelings of euphoria which stimulate the frontal lobes, making the learning experience a more enjoyable and successful one. When the learning experience is perceived as stressful by the student, cortisol is released which causes feelings of stress and anxiety. This detracts from the amount of attention that the learner will give to the learning task, and has a consequent negative impact on the success of the learning. Exercise produces overall feelings of well being enabling learners to engage successfully with the learning process
The ability to remember information and events is also linked to the release of hormones. Educationalists have known for some time the benefits of presenting information to learners in novel and stimulating ways. When our brains are presented with information that is new, this naturally leads to a rise in stress levels. These can be positive or negative and the brain will produce hormones accordingly. A negative stress will cause the production of cortisol while a positive stress will cause the release of adrenaline, beneficial to the learning and retention processes. These hormones have been describes as memory fixatives by McGaugh et al.

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