Yes, we all know that regular exercise benefits the body as well as the mind. But what if working out actually makes people smarter?

Aging does not always lead to loss and deterioration - it can also bring about rebirth and renewal. Ongoing research into the changing state of the older brain has revealed some refreshingly good news. Among the risk of Alzheimer's and memory loss is a bright spot - the growing recognition of neuroplasticity or the ability to develop new neurons as we age.

Scientists have recently found special neurons in the brainstem of rats which focus exclusively on new, novel sounds and help them ignore predictable and ongoing noises. These novelty detector neurons, as researchers call them, quickly stop firing if a sound or sound pattern is repeated. They will briefly resume firing if some aspect of the sound changes. The implications are, as usual, that we humans may be like rats.