It is well known that working out and lifting weight makes you healthier and often stronger. It is said that the longer, harder, and more often you exercise, the greater health benefits, including reducing the risk of disease such as cancer and diabetes. It is good for the heart and blood vessels, reduces cancer, builds stronger bones, wards off diabetes, and can aid in weight loss (Ballantyne, 2009). But what is commonly spoken about is how working out can make you smarter.
Researchers have believed for a long time that exercise boots intelligence however until a couple years ago there was no solid research on this. Fernando Gomez- Pinella, a neurosurgery professor at the University of California, Los Angeles says it's known that exercise increases levels of some molecules in the brain that are very important for cognition (Ballantyne, 2009).
Studies in rats show a chemical in the brain known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which promotes the growth and survival of the brain cells as well as communication between them. Studies have now shown that exercise boost this chemical in the hippocampus which increases learning and memory formation. There was almost a linear relationship between exercise and changes in the brain (Ballantyne, 2009).
Numerous studies suggest that fitness enhances cognition in humans as well. Through a randomized clinical trial, it was found that people 50 and older with memory issues scored higher after implementing a six-month workout regimen (Ballantyne, 2009). The connection between brain cells (neural networks) are changing all the time, the more two brain cells communicate with one another the stronger the connection becomes. The brain slightly rewires its physical structure with each new experience, and each remembered event or fact, this is called neuroplasticity. One of the most powerful drivers of neuroplasticity is exercise (Headspace App). There are some skeptics who warn that there is not enough research done to confirm this link between exercise and human brain power.
Most of the early research done on this topic were done using animals, which brings up some question of ethics. However due to the reach being done consisting of solely increasing exercise, which is not particularly harmful, we can conclude that these studies may have been ethical. Other viewpoints may feel as though any studies done on animals should be concluded as unethical.
Ballantyne, C. (2009, January 2). Does exercise really make you healthier? Scientific American. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/does-exercise-really-make/.
Can exercising make you smarter? Headspace. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://www.headspace.com/articles/can-exercising-make-you-smarter.
I found a study that explains the BDNF gene found in our bodies. The BDNF gene contains nine exons, which each individual exon having their own promoter. This is found in both humans and mice. This results in different types of mature gene structures, even though the final translational product has the same function as each other. Different promoters are important for temporal and spatial regulation (Di Liegro, Schiera, Proia, & Di Liegro, 2019).
ReplyDeleteWithin the same study, more information was found pertaining to how physical activity plays a role in regulating levels of BDNF. The results show that there is no precise exercise method that is favored in obtaining maximal effects on BDNF production (i.e., effects on mental health). The authors of this study analysis agree that more further research is needed in order to fully understand how to use exercise to benefit cognitive enhancements (Di Liegro, Schiera, Proia, & Di Liegro, 2019).
Di Liegro, C. M., Schiera, G., Proia, P., & Di Liegro, I. (2019). Physical Activity and Brain Health. Genes, 10(9), 720. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes10090720