导语 健身举铁可以增大肌肉，有氧训练有助于增强耐力，而研究发现，运动还可以提高大脑储存记忆的能力。

关键词：科普、译文、锻炼、记忆力

Researchers have shown that the brain’s ability to store memories improves after a short burst of exercise.

研究人员发现，在短暂的运动后，大脑储存记忆的能力会提高

[Want to improve your memory? Try a spot of tai chi. Photograph: Brian Minkoff/Alamy]

[想要提高你的记忆力？试试太极拳。照片来源：Brian Minkoff / Alamy]

Just 10 minutes of light physical activity is enough to boost brain connectivity and help the brain to distinguish between similar memories, a new study suggests.

一项新的研究表明，仅仅10分钟的轻微体力活动就足以增强大脑的连通性，帮助大脑区分相似的记忆。

Scientists at the University of California studying brain activity found connectivity between parts of the brain responsible for memory formation and storage increased after a brief interval of light exercise – such as 10 minutes of slow walking, yoga or tai chi.

加利福尼亚大学的科学家们在研究大脑活动时发现，大脑中负责记忆形成和储存的部分之间的连接在短时间的轻度锻炼后会增强，比如10分钟的慢走、瑜伽或太极。

The findings could provide a simple and effective means of slowing down or staving off memory loss and cognitive decline in people who are elderly or have low levels of physical ability.

这些发现可以为那些上了年纪或身体素质较低的人提供一种简单有效的方法来减缓或延缓记忆丧失和认知能力下降。

The scientists asked 36 healthy volunteers in their early 20s to do 10 minutes of light exercise – at 30% of their peak oxygen intake – before assessing their memory ability. The memory test was then repeated on the same volunteers without exercising.

科学家们让36名20岁出头的健康志愿者在评估他们的记忆力之前进行10分钟的轻度锻炼，每次锻炼的时间为他们的峰值氧摄入量的30%。然后在相同的志愿者身上重复记忆测试，在不进行锻炼的情况下。

The same experiment was repeated on 16 of the volunteers who had either undertaken the same kind of exercise or rested, with researchers scanning their brain to monitor activity. In the brains of those who had exercised they discovered enhanced communication between the hippocampus – a region important in memory storage – and the cortical brain regions, which are involved in vivid recollection of memories.

同样的实验在16名志愿者身上重复进行，这些志愿者要么进行同样的锻炼，要么休息，研究人员扫描他们的大脑来监测他们的活动。在那些进行过锻炼的人的大脑中，他们发现海马体-记忆储存的一个重要区域-和参与记忆生动回忆的皮质大脑区域之间的交流增强了。

“The memory task really was quite challenging,” said Michael Yassa, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Irvine, and project co-leader. The participants were first shown pictures of objects from everyday life – ranging from broccoli to picnic baskets – and later tested on how well they remembered the images. “We used very tricky similar items to to see if they would remember whether it was this exact picnic basket versus that picnic basket,” he said.

“记忆任务确实非常具有挑战性，”加州大学欧文分校的神经科学家，项目联合负责人Michael Yassa说。研究人员首先向参与者展示了从西兰花到野餐篮等日常生活物品的图片，然后测试他们对这些图片的记忆程度。“我们使用了非常复杂的类似物品，看看他们是否还记得是这个野餐篮还是那个野餐篮，”他说。

The people who had exercised were better at separating or distinguishing between the different memories, say the scientists writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

科学家们在《美国国家科学院院刊》上写道，那些曾经锻炼过的人更善于区分不同的记忆。

“An evening stroll is sufficient to get some benefit,” said Yassa, adding that the frequency and exact amount of exercise will depend on the person’s age, level of mobility, potential disability and other lifestyle factors.

Yassa说，“晚上散步足以获得一些好处，”并补充说，运动的频率和运动量将取决于个人的年龄、活动能力、潜在的残疾以及其他生活方式因素。

The scientists also kept track of the participants’ mood changes. “With exercise you do get an enhanced mood. The question is whether that was explaining the effect we got on the behaviour or the effect we got on the brain and it wasn’t,” said Yassa.

科学家们还跟踪参与者的情绪变化。“通过锻炼，你可以获得更好的心情。问题是，这是否解释了我们对行为的影响，或我们对大脑产生的影响，而事实并非如此，“Yassa说。

Michelle Voss, a neuroscientist at the University of Iowa, described the findings as “intriguing”. “The brain regions involved here are also the regions that are thought to play a big role in the deterioration of memory with ageing.  It would be really exciting to see this type of experiment in older adults,” she said.

爱荷华大学的神经科学家Michelle Voss称这些发现“很有趣”。“这里涉及的大脑区域也被认为在随着年龄的增长，记忆力衰退中扮演着重要角色。 在老年人身上看到这种类型的实验真的很令人兴奋，“她说。

The authors of the paper are currently using the same method to look at the effects of light exercise on older people over extended periods of time.

该论文的作者目前正在使用相同的方法来观察长期的轻度锻炼对老年人的影响。

“Our main goal is to try to develop an exercise prescription that can be used by older adults who might have disabilities or mobility impairments, but can still adopt a very simple exercise regimen and be able to, perhaps, stave off cognitive decline,” said Yassa.

“我们的主要目标是尝试开发出一种运动处方，能够用于可能有残疾或行动障碍的老年人，他们仍然可以采用一种非常简单的锻炼方式，并且可以避免认知能力下降，” Yassa说。

Encouraged by the results, Yassa and his team have changed their habits in the lab. “I try to do walking meetings every now and then, and we try to get up every couple of hours and go for a nice 10-minute walk. Based on my experience, not only is the group more productive, but we’re happier,” he said.

在结果的鼓舞下，Yassa和他的团队改变了他们在实验室的习惯。“我试着时不时地进行步行会议，我们试着每隔几个小时就会起来，然后步行10分钟。根据我的经验，不仅团队效率更高，而且我们更高兴，“他说。

（责任编辑：周姚）