Mental And Physical Exercise Improves Genetic Mental Impairment

“Australian scientists have shown that mental and physical exercise can improve coordination and movement problems in Rett syndrome, a devastating genetic brain development disorder that primarily affects females. Using a mouse model of Rett syndrome developed by the Children's Medical Research Institute in Sydney, researchers from the Howard Florey Institute in Melbourne found these mice responded positively to the effects of environmental enrichment. A/Prof Anthony Hannan from the Howard Florey Institute said the onset and severity of coordination and movement problems was reduced by giving the Rett syndrome mice a range of mazes, toys and exercise equipment to stimulate them both mentally and physically. ‘This discovery shows that gene-environment interactions may be important for all brain diseases’, including those caused by an inherited gene mutation.”

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/ra-map061908.php