By Alexandra Lopez Petalas, Year 12
The human body was designed for physical activity. Although exercise has been proven to reduce the risk for diseases and improve brain functions, in today’s age we see more and more people opt for passive activities that include interacting with online media rather than going for a run.
There are a multitude of ways in which our cerebrum is affected by exercise. One example is that more oxygen in the brain aids the release of hormones which present an ideal environment for brain cells, or neurons, to grow. The easiest way to get more oxygen in the brain is through an increased heart rate. But what exactly are brain cells? Neurons help communicate and transmit messages through the brain. We need this to be able to think properly, understand what is going on in the world around us, move and much more! More brain cells can benefit people with PTSD, delay Alzhimers as well as improving overall brain health.
Exercise also improves neuroplasticity, the ability to change and alter brain activity after an injury by reorganizing its synaptic connections. As we grow older, a plastic brain is exactly what we want. The continued study on neuroplasticity is crucial for us to understand more about disorders and brain injury and can allow us to innovate new and better treatments.
Additionally, the antidepressant feeling that we get during a “runner’s high” is closely related to a fall in stress hormones. One study showed that this feeling we get is positively correlated with more cell growth in the hippocampus, an area of our brain responsible for long-term memory formation. During a “runner’s high”, the neurotransmitter endocannabinoid binds to our cannabinoid receptors. This activity is what gives us the euphoric feeling. Dopamine also plays a big role during these feelings. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter which deals with our feelings of motivation and rewards. When you exercise, this neurotransmitter is released, coherently making us feel the “runner’s high”. Other forms of exercise, like aerobics, are known to physically increase the volume of the hippocampus, an area related to memory and learning.
The evidence is endless: one study shows that patients with chronic anxiety symptoms said that the symptoms significantly fell after 30 minutes of aerobic exercise. Another study reported that people who reported the highest levels of euphoria while running were the people who had the highest levels of neurotransmitter release. In 1979, a professor at Stanford decided to test the theory of a “runner’s high” in relation to pain. He ran 10 laps and strapped a blood pressure cuff around his arm and inflating so much until he had to take it off due to the pain. He found that before running, he lasted 4 minutes with the cuff and after running, he lasted 6 minutes.
To conclude, neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki says that at least 30 minutes of exercise 3-4 times a week is enough to benefit the brain. Exercise isn’t a workout for the body, it’s also a workout for the brain. Your neurons will thank you!
