It’s common knowledge that exercise and increasing our physical activity provides numerous health benefits. Many of us are aware that it helps lift our moods, assists with weight loss, makes us stronger and helps prevent many diseases. More recent literature has been focusing on the positive impacts of exercise on the nervous system. Below are a few key points to help get you inspired:
Exercise Enhances Circulation:
When you increase your heart rate, it immediately delivers more glucose and oxygen to the brain. It leads to stimulating more synapses i.e. connecting points between your brain cells (all 100 trillion of them!). This results in improvements for reaction speed, focus and attention and cognition and helps decrease brain fog.
Exercise has also been shown to massively expand the brain’s network of blood vessels. When there is more blood flow to your brain, a molecule called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) emerges at higher levels. VEGF has been shown to produce new blood vessels in the hippocampus (a structure that plays a big role with memory and learning) in rodent studies given the relationship between blood flow and neurogenesis (the process in which new neurons are formed in the brain). There is emerging research that humans also experience neurogenesis due to the increase of blood vessels when exercising.
Exercise Forms More Brain Cells:
Many scientists are trying to answer how neurogenesis occurs in the human brain, but what we do know is that exercise helps! A popular theory is that when we increase our physical activity, a brain protein called the “Noggin” (no kidding) gets stimulated, which in turn starts the process of stem cells and neurogenesis.
Another exercise induced response is the increase of a protein called “brain derived neurotrophic factor” (BDNF). It’s been known to be like a fertilizer for your brain. BDNF is responsible for promoting the survival, growth and maturation of neurons; this literally affects every part of the brain.
Exercise has also been shown to increase the thickness of the cerebral cortex and enhance white matter integrity (brain tissue comprised of nerve fibers and makes up approximately half of the brain), which is responsible for protecting nerves from injury and providing connections throughout the brain.
Exercise Decreases Stress:
When we put our bodies under a lot of stress, studies have shown actual structural changes to the amygdala (an almond-shape set of neurons deep in the brain that play a large part with emotions, memory and fear response) by increasing grey matter density (most active during stressful situations). This in turn decreases connections to other parts of the brain and can actually distort the brain’s ability to acclimate to new experiences and process emotions.
On the flip side, when you exercise studies have shown improvements within the neural circuity involving the amygdala reducing levels of anxiety and depression.
Starting a new exercise routine can be confusing and overwhelming. It’s important to reflect on what your goals are and start slow.
As Dr. Robert Butler, founding director of the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health has said “if exercise could be packaged into a pill it would be the single most widely prescribed and beneficial medicine in the nation”
References:
Brenner et al. The Impact of Exercise on Growth Factors (VEGF and FGF2): Results from a 12-Month Randomized Intervention Trial. European Review of Aging and Physical Activity. 2019
Kandola et al. Physical Activity and Depression: Towards Understanding the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Physical Activity. Journal of Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. Vol 107, 525-539. 2019
Muller et al. Lactate and BDNF: Key Mediators of Exercise Induced Neuroplasticity. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2020
Thomas et al. Brain Perfusion Change in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment After 12 Months of Aerobic Exercise Training. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 2020; 75 (2): 617
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