Exercise is good for the brain
2002-06-03 01:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
archershipsNeurologists wake up to "PE Science"
1 May 2002 19:00 GMT
by Bea Perks, BioMedNet News
Scientific evidence is finally beginning to support years of clinical research suggesting that exercise is good for the brain, says Carl Cotman, professor of neurology at the University of California, Irvine. But researchers working in exercise science have known this for years, says one of them who bemoans the "PE Science" label that has prevented her field from gaining the recognition it deserves.
Traditionally, the beneficial effects of exercise on the brain were put down to "general health" benefits, says Cotman. But a growing body of neurological evidence is laying the misconception to rest, he adds.
Cotman first found, in 1995, that mice that run on exercise wheels have increased expression of the gene that encodes the neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which encourages the survival and growth of many types of neuron. The real surprise was that this was taking place in the hippocampus, a brain region associated with cognitive functions, not simple motor functions.
The process of learning is associated with increased BDNF gene expression, says Cotman, and BDNF promotes learning. Thus, he predicted: "Mechanisms that induce BDNF gene expression, such as exercise, can enhance learning." The suggestion is supported by links subsequently made between exercise and improved performance in memory tests, he adds.
A number of other molecules have joined BDNF as candidates for improving brain function via exercise. The expression of genes that encode molecules involved in synapse formation have also been shown to rise with exercise, suggesting a direct effect of exercise on synapse formation, he says.
"It is remarkable that exercise regulates the expression of so many genes in the hippocampus," noted Cotman. "The finding underscores the emerging idea that exercise is a powerful effector of brain physiology." Cotman airs his views in an Opinion article in the June issue of Trends in Neurosciences.
Exercise scientist Jacquie Van Hoomissen at the University of Georgia, Athens, is pleased to see the field growing in popularity, but questions the emphasis on BDNF.
"It's kind of disappointing because that's the one thing that's received so much attention in the neuroscience field," Van Hoomisen told BioMedNet News today. "There's this whole literature that's come out of the exercise science field [over] the past 20 years that I don't think anybody really went back to look at. Historically, physical activity and exercise was seen as a kind of PE kind of science, and nobody knew we were actually studying the brain."
Nevertheless, she conceded: "It's nice to see people realizing that the brain is part of the body, so when we exercise we exercise all parts of the body not just the muscles. We're pleased to see it in neuroscience."
1 May 2002 19:00 GMT
by Bea Perks, BioMedNet News
Scientific evidence is finally beginning to support years of clinical research suggesting that exercise is good for the brain, says Carl Cotman, professor of neurology at the University of California, Irvine. But researchers working in exercise science have known this for years, says one of them who bemoans the "PE Science" label that has prevented her field from gaining the recognition it deserves.
Traditionally, the beneficial effects of exercise on the brain were put down to "general health" benefits, says Cotman. But a growing body of neurological evidence is laying the misconception to rest, he adds.
Cotman first found, in 1995, that mice that run on exercise wheels have increased expression of the gene that encodes the neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which encourages the survival and growth of many types of neuron. The real surprise was that this was taking place in the hippocampus, a brain region associated with cognitive functions, not simple motor functions.
The process of learning is associated with increased BDNF gene expression, says Cotman, and BDNF promotes learning. Thus, he predicted: "Mechanisms that induce BDNF gene expression, such as exercise, can enhance learning." The suggestion is supported by links subsequently made between exercise and improved performance in memory tests, he adds.
A number of other molecules have joined BDNF as candidates for improving brain function via exercise. The expression of genes that encode molecules involved in synapse formation have also been shown to rise with exercise, suggesting a direct effect of exercise on synapse formation, he says.
"It is remarkable that exercise regulates the expression of so many genes in the hippocampus," noted Cotman. "The finding underscores the emerging idea that exercise is a powerful effector of brain physiology." Cotman airs his views in an Opinion article in the June issue of Trends in Neurosciences.
Exercise scientist Jacquie Van Hoomissen at the University of Georgia, Athens, is pleased to see the field growing in popularity, but questions the emphasis on BDNF.
"It's kind of disappointing because that's the one thing that's received so much attention in the neuroscience field," Van Hoomisen told BioMedNet News today. "There's this whole literature that's come out of the exercise science field [over] the past 20 years that I don't think anybody really went back to look at. Historically, physical activity and exercise was seen as a kind of PE kind of science, and nobody knew we were actually studying the brain."
Nevertheless, she conceded: "It's nice to see people realizing that the brain is part of the body, so when we exercise we exercise all parts of the body not just the muscles. We're pleased to see it in neuroscience."