We all know running is good for our health, but could running possibly impact our mental health and increase intelligence in ways similar to playing an instrument? A study published by the University of Arizona compared the brains of young adult cross-country runners and young adults who do not partake in regular physical activity. They found that the runners brains showed greater ‘functional connectivity’ described as ‘connections between distinct brain regions -- within several areas of the brain, including the frontal cortex, which is important for cognitive functions such as planning, decision-making and the ability to switch attention between tasks.’ These benefits have been seen in activities that require ‘fine motor control and high levels of hand eye coordination ,’ activities such playing an instrument and golf. Even though running in a repetitive motion unlike playing an instrument and golf it has been shown to have similar effects on the brain. Researchers even believe running as a young adult may even help prevent the altered functional connectivity seen in Alzheimer’s in their latter years. With all of running's age and disease prevention effects why not lace them up today for a better tomorrow.
Posted by: Garnette Goorahlal
Source of Article: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161214151637.htm
Source of Image: http://greatist.com/sites/default/files/running.jpg
It seems there is a lot of current research suggesting that running is good for our health. I recently read an article in the New York Times that discusses some of the NIH’s recent findings. The NIH wanted to see if some of the essential steps that lead to increased neural connections and cases of neurogenesis they observed in “running mice” were taking place in the muscles, as opposed to in the brain itself. They found a protein, cathepsin B, that is released from muscles after running to help recover from soreness (in mice, monkeys and people). When the protein was added to mice neurons in petri dishes, the brain cells produced more neurogenesis-associated proteins. Another study in Germany regarding this protein, found that runners with higher levels of cathepsin B scored higher on memory and thinking tests. Based on these current studies, I agree that everyone should take up running!
ReplyDeletePosted by Jenna Lansbury
When performing repetitive activities such as running and other exercises, the brain allocates more area in the motor cortex to control muscle movement, as you described as "functional connectivity". This is also known as neural plasticity. As a person grows older, many find it harder to stay mobile. Getting daily exercise is important to keep these neural connections alive and improve one's health and mobility in the future. I also agree that we should all perform moderate exercise while we can!
ReplyDeletePosted by Sierra Tyrol
I agree that regular exercise is good for many different aspects of health. I do find it interesting that this example only focused on running even though there are many other types of exercises that bring the same benefits. Many studies show that after 20 minutes of walking the brain shows a large increase in activity and that it can be beneficial for boosting your mood. I think any type of exercise is a very important aspect for staying in good health, whether it be mental or physical heath.
ReplyDeletePosted by Hannah Jordan
Although running may be good for your overall health and boost your mental health, I think trivia puzzles or even games such as Sudoku can boost your mental health and memory. Back in high school I loved playing Sudoku and I even had teachers who would start their class with a brainteaser to get our “creative juices” flowing. For those that don’t enjoy running or being active this is a great alternative.
ReplyDeletePosted by Ana Carolina Nepomuceno
This makes me want to go take a run! Did the paper have any research on how often you must run to gain any benefit from it? Or does other physical activity such as walking, yoga or weight lifting have the same benefits as running does? Does the physical activity help make you smarter because it helps with blood flow to the brain or for other reasons?
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ReplyDeleteThe root of so many diseases like Alzheimer’s is the misfolding of proteins and letting those misfolded proteins aggregate in the cell. The interesting part about Alzheimer’s disease is that there is aggregation both inside and outside the cell, which is part of the problem of tackling this disease. I really enjoyed your connection of Alzheimer’s and physical activity due to the different neurotransmitters that get released during physical activity. When you’re running there is such a thing called a “runner’s high” because of all the endorphins that your body releases during physical activity. I think that connecting physical activity and the brain is such a revolutionary concept and can’t wait to see what studies come out next! Who knows, maybe there are other neurotransmitters and hormones that get released during physical activity that could solve lots of different neurodegenerative diseases.
ReplyDeletePosted by Kate Masterson
As the article states, there seems to be an increasing public interest in the connection between regular participation in gross motor activity and decreasing age related cognitive decline. So I'm left wondering, what's the impetus behind this growing curiosity? Is it a want to distance America - I say America as ScienceDaily is based in the US - from a long-held association with obesity? Is it Michelle Obama’s six-year joust to end childhood obesity under the Let’sMove! Program? These studies always seem to play-out as some sort of truism, as they end up just restating that “exercise is good for you.” Is the pretense of avoiding Alzheimer’s enough to incentivize running? Is it realistic to expect someone who’s not already galvanized into action by the thought of, more realistically, dying of a cardiovascular disease (via sedentary lifestyle), to be scared into jogging by threat of Alzheimers? The incentive the article presents is so unclear and inconsequential when compared to the immediate benefits of running, so I’m just unsure who the intended audience actually is.
ReplyDeletePosted by Owen Mulledy