{"license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","date_published":"2026-03-09T00:00:00Z","OA_place":"publisher","publication_identifier":{"eissn":["2632-1297"]},"author":[{"first_name":"Araceli R.","last_name":"Cardenas","full_name":"Cardenas, Araceli R."},{"full_name":"Ramirez Villegas, Juan F","last_name":"Ramirez Villegas","first_name":"Juan F","id":"44B06F76-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87"},{"full_name":"Kovach, Christopher K.","last_name":"Kovach","first_name":"Christopher K."},{"full_name":"Gander, Phillip E.","last_name":"Gander","first_name":"Phillip E."},{"first_name":"Rachel C.","full_name":"Cole, Rachel C.","last_name":"Cole"},{"first_name":"Andrew J.","last_name":"Grossbach","full_name":"Grossbach, Andrew J."},{"first_name":"Hiroto","last_name":"Kawasaki","full_name":"Kawasaki, Hiroto"},{"full_name":"Greenlee, Jeremy D.W.","last_name":"Greenlee","first_name":"Jeremy D.W."},{"first_name":"Matthew A.","last_name":"Howard","full_name":"Howard, Matthew A."},{"full_name":"Nourski, Kirill V.","last_name":"Nourski","first_name":"Kirill V."},{"first_name":"Matthew I.","full_name":"Banks, Matthew I.","last_name":"Banks"},{"full_name":"Voss, Michelle W.","last_name":"Voss","first_name":"Michelle W."}],"_id":"21473","doi":"10.1093/braincomms/fcag041","date_updated":"2026-03-23T14:30:47Z","abstract":[{"lang":"eng","text":"Physical exercise acutely improves hippocampus-dependent memory. Whereas animal studies have offered cellular- and synaptic-level accounts of these effects, human neuroimaging studies show that exercise improves hippocampal-cortical connectivity at the macroscale level. However, the neurophysiological basis of exercise-induced effects on hippocampal-cortical circuits remains unknown. Experimental evidence supports the idea that hippocampal sharp wave-ripples (SWR) play a critical role in learning and memory. Coupling between SWRs in the hippocampus and neocortex may reflect modulations in inter-regional connectivity required by mnemonic processes. Here, we examine the hypothesis that exercise modulates hippocampal-cortical ripple dynamics in the human brain. We performed intracranial recordings in epilepsy patients undergoing pre-surgical evaluation, during awake resting state, before and after an exercise session. Exercise increased ripple rate in the hippocampus. Exercise also enhanced the coupling and phase-synchrony between cortical ripples in the limbic and the default mode (DM) cortical networks and hippocampal SWRs. Further, a higher heart rate during exercise, reflecting exercise intensity, was related to a subsequent increase in resting state ripples across specific cortical networks, including the DM network. These results offer the first direct evidence that a single exercise session elicits changes in ripple events, a well-established neurophysiological marker of mnemonic processing. The characterisation and anatomical distribution of the described modulation points to hippocampal ripples as a potential mechanism by which exercise elicits its reported short-term effects in cognition."}],"volume":8,"date_created":"2026-03-22T23:04:34Z","article_number":"fcag041","acknowledgement":"We acknowledge the generosity of the patients, who contributed time and effort to take part in this study.","article_type":"original","article_processing_charge":"Yes","DOAJ_listed":"1","quality_controlled":"1","corr_author":"1","ddc":["570"],"year":"2026","oa":1,"has_accepted_license":"1","publication":"Brain Communications","publication_status":"published","intvolume":"         8","citation":{"short":"A.R. Cardenas, J.F. Ramirez Villegas, C.K. Kovach, P.E. Gander, R.C. Cole, A.J. Grossbach, H. Kawasaki, J.D.W. Greenlee, M.A. Howard, K.V. Nourski, M.I. Banks, M.W. Voss, Brain Communications 8 (2026).","mla":"Cardenas, Araceli R., et al. “Exercise Enhances Hippocampal-Cortical Ripple Interactions in the Human Brain.” <i>Brain Communications</i>, vol. 8, no. 2, fcag041, Oxford University Press, 2026, doi:<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcag041\">10.1093/braincomms/fcag041</a>.","chicago":"Cardenas, Araceli R., Juan F Ramirez Villegas, Christopher K. Kovach, Phillip E. Gander, Rachel C. Cole, Andrew J. Grossbach, Hiroto Kawasaki, et al. “Exercise Enhances Hippocampal-Cortical Ripple Interactions in the Human Brain.” <i>Brain Communications</i>. Oxford University Press, 2026. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcag041\">https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcag041</a>.","apa":"Cardenas, A. R., Ramirez Villegas, J. F., Kovach, C. K., Gander, P. E., Cole, R. C., Grossbach, A. J., … Voss, M. W. (2026). Exercise enhances hippocampal-cortical ripple interactions in the human brain. <i>Brain Communications</i>. Oxford University Press. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcag041\">https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcag041</a>","ista":"Cardenas AR, Ramirez Villegas JF, Kovach CK, Gander PE, Cole RC, Grossbach AJ, Kawasaki H, Greenlee JDW, Howard MA, Nourski KV, Banks MI, Voss MW. 2026. Exercise enhances hippocampal-cortical ripple interactions in the human brain. Brain Communications. 8(2), fcag041.","ama":"Cardenas AR, Ramirez Villegas JF, Kovach CK, et al. Exercise enhances hippocampal-cortical ripple interactions in the human brain. <i>Brain Communications</i>. 2026;8(2). doi:<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcag041\">10.1093/braincomms/fcag041</a>","ieee":"A. R. Cardenas <i>et al.</i>, “Exercise enhances hippocampal-cortical ripple interactions in the human brain,” <i>Brain Communications</i>, vol. 8, no. 2. Oxford University Press, 2026."},"file_date_updated":"2026-03-23T14:27:39Z","user_id":"2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87","publisher":"Oxford University Press","day":"09","department":[{"_id":"JoCs"}],"type":"journal_article","language":[{"iso":"eng"}],"title":"Exercise enhances hippocampal-cortical ripple interactions in the human brain","OA_type":"gold","file":[{"date_updated":"2026-03-23T14:27:39Z","file_size":33974419,"success":1,"content_type":"application/pdf","creator":"dernst","file_name":"2026_BrainCommunications_Cardenas.pdf","file_id":"21478","date_created":"2026-03-23T14:27:39Z","checksum":"b5b45c16defeaf88056fc3b939bd0350","relation":"main_file","access_level":"open_access"}],"month":"03","PlanS_conform":"1","oa_version":"Published Version","status":"public","issue":"2","scopus_import":"1","tmp":{"legal_code_url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode","short":"CC BY (4.0)","name":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)","image":"/images/cc_by.png"}}