you’re actually adding to the brain’s network of blood vessels, bringing more oxygen to every part of the brain.
In fact, if you look at the network of blood vessels in the brains of exercising adults, as one 2009 research study did, you’ll find it far more extensive than the blood vessel networks that exist in the brains of their sedentary peers. 9 For that study, the research team performed magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) on the brains of fourteen healthy elderly participants. Seven of the participants reported a high level of aerobic activity—at least three hours a week over the prior ten years—while the other seven reported exercising less than ninety minutes a week over the prior ten years.
Looking at the results, the study team found that those who had exercised more had healthier-appearing blood vessels and more branchings of their small blood vessels. The difference between the two sets of brains is striking—and the effect might even have been greater than we can see on MRA, since some of the brain’s blood vessels (called capillaries) are so tiny that they can only be measured through a microscope.
A healthy vascular network with dense branches of blood vessels means more nourishment for neurons, helping them to stay vibrant and alive, and better retention of the brain’s highways, allowing different parts of the brain to communicate more efficiently. The newly formed and engorged blood vessels may also account for part of the remarkable growth in the size of the hippocampus with exercise.
In addition, exercise aids the brain in another way: by promoting the creation of new mitochondria, the powerhouses of energy within cells. These new mitochondria are born throughout the body but are put to use in different ways. In muscles, for example, they power the processes needed to add muscle mass, bulking up your biceps when you lift weights or your calves when you run.
In the hippocampus (which I sometimes think of as our “memory muscle”), mitochondria help fuel the growth of new cells, new synapses, and new small blood vessel branchings. The additional energy they provide is critical to rejuvenation and repair elsewhere in the brain, too. I believe mitochondria are the ultimate brain revitalizer—the more we have, the longer we’ll live and the sharper we’ll be in old age.
Running to Alpha
There’s one other factor in how exercise changes the brain: healthy brain activity. Exercise can promote healthy brain wave activity by increasing activity in the healthy alpha range, which is associated with a calm, alert, focused state of mind.
In one study, researchers in Germany and Australia used EEG to measure the baseline brain wave activity of twenty-two recreational runners between the ages of twenty-one and forty-five. 10 The study participants then ran on a treadmill. When they finished, their brain wave activity was again measured via EEG. What the research team found: in all the study subjects, alpha brain wave activity increased immediately after exercise.
Alpha activity was especially strong in the left frontal lobe—the part of the brain that’s most closely associated with focus, attention, and decision making. That this occurs will be no surprise to anyone who has ever experienced the rush of a “runner’s high.” Part of that feel-good effect is due to the release of endorphins and dopamine, neurotransmitters that promote a sense of well-being. It’s possible that increased levels of these or other feel-good brain-messenger molecules promote alpha activity in the brain. Or that the rush of oxygen-rich blood flooding the brain during exercise is what’s behind that increased alpha activity. Or, more likely, a combination of factors.
I am looking forward to seeing additional solid evidence detailing the link between exercise and healthy brain activity; in the meantime, it’s clear that exercise does indeed help us enter the alpha zone. For proof, all you need to do is
In fact, if you look at the network of blood vessels in the brains of exercising adults, as one 2009 research study did, you’ll find it far more extensive than the blood vessel networks that exist in the brains of their sedentary peers. 9 For that study, the research team performed magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) on the brains of fourteen healthy elderly participants. Seven of the participants reported a high level of aerobic activity—at least three hours a week over the prior ten years—while the other seven reported exercising less than ninety minutes a week over the prior ten years.
Looking at the results, the study team found that those who had exercised more had healthier-appearing blood vessels and more branchings of their small blood vessels. The difference between the two sets of brains is striking—and the effect might even have been greater than we can see on MRA, since some of the brain’s blood vessels (called capillaries) are so tiny that they can only be measured through a microscope.
A healthy vascular network with dense branches of blood vessels means more nourishment for neurons, helping them to stay vibrant and alive, and better retention of the brain’s highways, allowing different parts of the brain to communicate more efficiently. The newly formed and engorged blood vessels may also account for part of the remarkable growth in the size of the hippocampus with exercise.
In addition, exercise aids the brain in another way: by promoting the creation of new mitochondria, the powerhouses of energy within cells. These new mitochondria are born throughout the body but are put to use in different ways. In muscles, for example, they power the processes needed to add muscle mass, bulking up your biceps when you lift weights or your calves when you run.
In the hippocampus (which I sometimes think of as our “memory muscle”), mitochondria help fuel the growth of new cells, new synapses, and new small blood vessel branchings. The additional energy they provide is critical to rejuvenation and repair elsewhere in the brain, too. I believe mitochondria are the ultimate brain revitalizer—the more we have, the longer we’ll live and the sharper we’ll be in old age.
Running to Alpha
There’s one other factor in how exercise changes the brain: healthy brain activity. Exercise can promote healthy brain wave activity by increasing activity in the healthy alpha range, which is associated with a calm, alert, focused state of mind.
In one study, researchers in Germany and Australia used EEG to measure the baseline brain wave activity of twenty-two recreational runners between the ages of twenty-one and forty-five. 10 The study participants then ran on a treadmill. When they finished, their brain wave activity was again measured via EEG. What the research team found: in all the study subjects, alpha brain wave activity increased immediately after exercise.
Alpha activity was especially strong in the left frontal lobe—the part of the brain that’s most closely associated with focus, attention, and decision making. That this occurs will be no surprise to anyone who has ever experienced the rush of a “runner’s high.” Part of that feel-good effect is due to the release of endorphins and dopamine, neurotransmitters that promote a sense of well-being. It’s possible that increased levels of these or other feel-good brain-messenger molecules promote alpha activity in the brain. Or that the rush of oxygen-rich blood flooding the brain during exercise is what’s behind that increased alpha activity. Or, more likely, a combination of factors.
I am looking forward to seeing additional solid evidence detailing the link between exercise and healthy brain activity; in the meantime, it’s clear that exercise does indeed help us enter the alpha zone. For proof, all you need to do is
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