Exercise improves cognition and hippocampal plasticity in APOE epsilon4 mice.

Background: Human studies on exercise, cognition, and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype show that epsilon4 carriers may benefit from regular physical activity.

Methods: We examined voluntary wheel-running, memory, and hippocampal plasticity in APOE epsilon3 and APOE epsilon4 transgenic mice at 10-12 months of age.

Results: Sedentary epsilon4 mice exhibited deficits in cognition on the radial-arm water maze (RAWM), a task dependent on the hippocampus.