Using the study cycle model to support better student learning: a faculty guide.

Despite years of varied school experiences, many college students do not have adaptable study methods that allow them to collect, organize, and reorganize information to critically assess what they know and what they need help with until after a poor exam performance. Faculty are frequently called on to help students become better learners. In addition, as the tasks and complexity of the material become more challenging, students will need to adopt new study habits and adapt them to each new learning opportunity to reach their goals.

Mild stress facilitates learning and exercise improves retention in aged mice.

While chronic or severe stress generally has negative consequences in the brain, moderate stress has been shown to facilitate learning in young animals. It is unknown if stress facilitates or impairs learning in an aged animal. In this study, the effect of mild stress on learning and task retention (1 week later) was assessed in young and aged mice.

Wheel running following spinal cord injury improves locomotor recovery and stimulates serotonergic fiber growth.

Exercise, through manual step training, robotic step training or voluntary wheel running, is emerging as a promising therapy after spinal cord injury (SCI). Animal models provide a tool to investigate the mechanisms by which physical activity influences recovery from SCI. In the present study, we extend previous experiments showing improved recovery after SCI with both pre- and post-injury running in a flat-surface running wheel and investigate mechanisms of recovery.

Adaptation of a ladder beam walking task to assess locomotor recovery in mice following spinal cord injury.

Locomotor impairments after spinal cord injury (SCI) are often assessed using open-field rating scales. These tasks have the advantage of spanning the range from complete paralysis to normal walking; however, they lack sensitivity at specific levels of recovery. Additionally, most supplemental assessments were developed in rats, not mice.

Voluntary wheel running improves recovery from a moderate spinal cord injury.

Recently, locomotor training has been shown to improve overground locomotion in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). This has triggered renewed interest in the role of exercise in rehabilitation after SCI. However, there are no mouse models for voluntary exercise and recovery of function following SCI.

The timecourse of induction of brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA and protein in the rat hippocampus following voluntary exercise.

In this study we examined the timecourse of induction of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA and protein after 1, 3, 5, 7, 14 and 28 days of exercise in the rat. To measure the expression of mRNA for individual BDNF exons we utilized a semi-quantitative RT-PCR technique, while BDNF protein was assessed using commercial ELISA kits. We demonstrated that the distance run by animals increased significantly (P<0.

Exercise enhances and protects brain function.

Physical activity, in the form of voluntary wheel running, induces gene expression changes in the brain. Animals that exercise show an increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a molecule that increases neuronal survival, enhances learning, and protects against cognitive decline. Microarray analysis of gene expression provides further support that exercise enhances and supports brain function.