Here’s a possible strategy to boost memory—exercise four hours after you learn something. In a study published in the July 11, 2016, Current Biology, researchers found that exercise after learning may improve your memory of the new information, but only if done in a specific time window.
After 48 hours, the participants’ memory was tested while their brains were scanned via MRI. Those who exercised four hours after the learning session retained information better than the other two groups. The MRI also showed that the hippocampus, the brain region involved with learning and memory, was more active when information was recalled correctly.
Newly learned information turns into long-term knowledge through a process that requires certain brain chemicals that are released during exercise, such as dopamine, noradrenaline, and the growth factor BDNF