Brain Activity
We all know exercise is good for us—it decreases stress, makes us happy, keeps us healthy, increases our energy levels, makes us pretty, etc. There are a plethora of reasons to use our bodies to their full potential.
And now we have one more: exercise stimulates brain growth. Basically, everything your body does triggers a waterfall of brain-to-body signals and chemical reactions. There are energy-burning chemical reactions, energy-conserving reactions, germ-fighting reactions, the fluid-flushing reaction (if you’re drinking lots of liquid) and the fluid-hoarding chemical reaction if you aren’t drinking enough liquid. The blood-clotting one is my favorite because it’s so dang cool. But probably only to geeks like me, so we’ll skip that part of my over-simplified explanation of human physiology.
There’s a lot of research out there concerning the effects of exercise. The positive physical effects are obvious (exercise is good for you and stuff). As are the great mental effects: stress-reduction, positive self-image, and those kick-ass runners’ highs. And now, if you needed one more reason to take a study break and go for a run, apparently exercise makes you smarter.
The articles didn’t do as well as I did above at dumbing down their science vocab so I could give it to you straight. So here’s my best no-vocab summary: exercise triggers a chemical reaction and brain signal waterfall thingy of the particular chemical group whose function it is to stimulate brain cell growth and activity. Which may not sound like earth-shattering news, but it is if you’re not youthful and had been under the assumption that your grey matter was shriveling daily and no amount of Sudoku was going to save you.
This is how the professional scientists explain it:
Out of the variety of neurotrophic factors released during exercise, however, scientists found that one in particular stood out: brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF. This protein seems to act as a ringleader, both prompting brain benefits on its own and triggering a cascade of other neural health—promoting chemicals to spring into action.
“I think of BDNF as brain fertilizer. It’s thrilling to see what it does to cells in culture,” says Carl Cotman, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Irvine. Sprinkling a dilute solution of BDNF onto neurons in a lab dish makes the cells “grow like crazy,” he adds. The cells sprout branches prolifically and extend them rapidly.
The process starts in the muscles. Every time a bicep or quad contracts and releases, it sends out chemicals, including a protein called IGF-1 that travels through the bloodstream, across the blood-brain barrier and into the brain itself. There, IGF-1 takes on the role of foreman in the body’s neurotransmitter factory. It issues orders to ramp up production of several chemicals, including one called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF. Ratey, author of the upcoming book “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain,” calls this molecule “Miracle-Gro for the brain.” It fuels almost all the activities that lead to higher thought.
So now you can keep the pathways zipping with weird newspaper games, and you can trigger new cell growth with exercise. And the increased blood flow to the brain during physical activity can’t hurt, either. If you’re super coordinated (not me—I almost killed myself when I dropped my iPod on the treadmill and “stopped” to pick it up) you could combine both brain-boosting tips and run on the treadmill while doing a crossword. Good luck.
Further reading with complicated science jargon included:
Exercise ‘Sharpens Ageing Brain’
Exercise Fuels the Brain’s Stress Buffers
Train Your Brain With Exercise
Boost Your Brain Power With Exercise
Exercise Brain Benefits Confirmed For Humans
Benefits of Exercise Include Protection From Brain Diseases, Aging
Posted by Alexa Harrington
