Maternal Exercise and Cognitive Functions of the Offspring.

Substantial research has established that exercise can improve mental health and cognitive function in both human and non-human animals. Exercise has been shown to improve learning and memory in both adult and juvenile animals, with larger and more durable effects associated with exercising during development. Exercise during the gestational period has also been shown to improve cognition in the offspring. Several recent studies indicate that the offspring of mothers that exercised during pregnancy exhibit improved learning and memory and decreased anxiety-like behaviors. These behavioral changes are accompanied by increased neurogenesis, neurotrophic factor expression, and neuronal activity in the offspring. This review summarizes the current literature regarding the effects of maternal exercise in rodents and presents avenues for future research to reveal the biological mechanism(s) through which maternal exercise changes the brain and behavior of the offspring.