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6355386 
Journal Article 
MRI-detectable changes in mouse brain structure induced by voluntary exercise 
Cahill, LS; Steadman, PE; Jones, CE; Laliberte, CL; Dazai, J; Lerch, JP; Stefanovic, B; Sled, JG 
2015 
1 
NeuroImage
ISSN: 1053-8119
EISSN: 1095-9572 
113 
175-183 
Physical exercise, besides improving cognitive and mental health, is known to cause structural changes in the brain. Understanding the structural changes that occur with exercise as well as the neuroanatomical correlates of a predisposition for exercise is important for understanding human health. This study used high-resolution 3D MR imaging, in combination with deformation-based morphometry, to investigate the macroscopic changes in brain structure that occur in healthy adult mice following four weeks of voluntary exercise. We found that exercise induced changes in multiple brain structures that are involved in motor function and learning and memory including the hippocampus, dentate gyrus, stratum granulosum of the dentate gyrus, cingulate cortex, olivary complex, inferior cerebellar peduncle and regions of the cerebellum. In addition, a number of brain structures, including the hippocampus, striatum and pons, when measured on MRI prior to the start of exercise were highly predictive of subsequent exercise activity. Exercise tended to normalize these pre-existing differences between mice. 
Cortex (motor); Neuroimaging; olivary complex; Hippocampus; Magnetic resonance imaging; Cerebellum; Cortex (cingulate); Dentate gyrus; Anatomy; Physical training; Mental disorders; Morphometry; Cognitive ability; Neostriatum; Motor skill learning; Brain architecture/