Because the brain needs exercise to be healthy

If you know physical activity is good for health and improves the function of many organ systems in the body. Medically, it is proven, for example, when a person walks or runs, and due to the fact that their muscles require more oxygen, over time, their cardiovascular system responds by increasing the size of the heart and building new blood vessels to improve performance.

But how does this also benefit the brain? This question was the one he answered David Raichlen, anthropologist and professor in the area of ​​human and evolutionary biology at the University of Southern California during first international virtual symposium on neuroscience and wellness, took place yesterday and was organized by Ineco Foundation and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

Raichlen, began his presentation by explaining this there is an anthropological reason for the benefits of exercise on the brain. For this reason, millions of years ago he began to investigate the evolutionary relationship between the brain and the body, when hominids developed a series of anatomical and behavioral adaptations that distinguish us from other primates. His work in recent years has been based on the belief that some of these evolutionary changes link exercise to brain function.

“First, our ancestors went from walking on all fours to walking upright with only their hind legs. This bipedal posture means that there are times when our body balances precariously on one foot. instead of two or more limbs as in other monkeys. To accomplish this task, our brains must coordinate a large amount of information and, in the process, make changes to muscle activity throughout the body to maintain our balance. In coordinating these actions, we must also be aware of any environmental obstacles. In other words, simply Because we are bipedal, our brains may be subjected to more cognitive difficulties than that of our quadrupedal ancestors“, Explained the expert on his research.

“Further, hominid life has changed by incorporating higher levels of aerobic activity. This is supported by fossil evidence in the early stages of human evolution, when our ancestors were likely relatively sedentary bipedal apes that ate mostly plants. However, About two million years ago, when habitats dried up in the cold, at least one group of ancient humans began feeding in a new way, hunting animals and harvesting plant foods. Hunting and gathering dominated human subsistence strategies for nearly two million years until the advent of agriculture and grazing about 10,000 years ago, “he added.

According to the specialist, the increased demands on the brain accompanied this shift towards a more physically active routine. When looking for food far away, hunter-gatherers must examine their surroundings to make sure they know where they are. This type of spatial navigation is based on the hippocampus, the same region of the brain that benefits from exercise and which tends to atrophy as we age. “In addition, they must scan the landscape for signs of food, using sensory information from their visual and auditory systems.. They need to remember where they have been before and when certain types of food were available, “added Raichlen, who pointed out that the brain uses this information from short- and long-term memory, enabling people to make decisions and plan their own pathways. tasks cognitive functions that are supported by the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex, among other regions.

Raichlen cited a recent work published by him and colleagues in over 7,000 middle-aged and older adults in the UK, published in 2019 in the magazine Brain imaging and behavior. “There we showed that people who spent more time in moderate to vigorous physical activity had higher volumes of hippocampus in their brains. Although it is not yet possible to say whether these effects in humans are related to neurogenesis or other forms of brain plasticity, such as increased connections between existing neurons, the results clearly indicate that exercise can benefit the brain’s hippocampus. and its cognitive functions, ”he said.

On research Clear links between aerobic exercise and benefits for other parts of the brain, including expansion of the prefrontal cortex, were also shown. Such an increase in this region has been correlated with more acute executive cognitive functions, involving aspects of planning, decision making and multitasking, skills that, like memory, tend to decline with healthy aging and are further degraded in presence. Alzheimer’s. Scientists suspect it greater connections between existing neurons, rather than the birth of new neurons, are responsible for the beneficial effects of exercise on the prefrontal cortex and other brain regions outside the hippocampus.

“IS The neuroscience evolutionary perspective on exercise and the brain has profound implications for humans today. In our modern society, we don’t need to participate in aerobic physical activities to find food to survive. Brain atrophy and cognitive decline concomitants that commonly occur during aging may be partly related to our sedentary habits“, Concluded the specialist.

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