As a neuroscientist who studies the effects of exercise on brain functioning, I am ultimately interested in the connection between the body and brain. At a recent scientific conference on learning and memory, Dr. Monika Fleshner of the Department of Integrative Physiology at the University of Colorado, spoke about an exciting area of research that truly connects the body and brain: the gut microbiome. I was well aware of the enteric nervous system, which is a part of the a

For the past 40 years, the world’s leading experts on learning and memory have gathered in Park City, Utah to discuss the newest and most exciting research on the brain’s ability to learn and remember information. I recently attended this year’s conference, which hosted the first ever panel on “Current Topics in the Neurobiology of Exercise and the Brain”. Speakers included Monika Fleshner who gave a talk on early life exercise and the gut microbiota as well as Henriette Va