Not only does working out keep the heart healthy and body toned, but new research has found that exercise also helps to maintain peak brain performance. A regular fitness routine encourages nerve cells to multiply while strengthening their connections and protecting them from damage. The findings are particularly exciting to researchers as they hint to new and improved treatments for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and spinal cord injuries.

A number of neurotrophic factors are released during exercise, but scientists are focusing on one specifically. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF seems to improve brain health on its own while also stimulating other chemicals that promote neural health. “I think of BDNF as brain fertilizer. It’s thrilling to see what it does to cells in culture,” said Carl Cotman, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Irvine.

[via Science News]