Activity Boosts Nerve Cells in Brains of Mice
 (New York, Reuters Health, 5/21/02)

Dr. Gerd Kempermann and team from the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin-Buch, Germany compared a few mice housed in a bare cage with with a large group of mice kept in a stimulating environment with plastic tunnels and objects that were periodically rearranged. After 10 months, corresponding to old age, the mice in the interactive environment produced more brain cells, were more curious and learned faster than their peers. The study implies that physical and mental activity may stave off age-related degeneration.