summary: Recent research has revealed a significant link between exercise and improved cognitive performance, and this enhancement is thought to be due to increased dopamine levels. The findings included advanced PET scans to monitor dopamine release in the brain during exercise, showing that dopamine plays a key role in improving reaction times and overall brain function. I am.
The implications of this research are far-reaching and suggest potential therapeutic applications for conditions affected by dopamine, such as Parkinson's disease and ADHD. This study highlights the importance of voluntary movement for cognitive health and distinguishes it from involuntary muscle stimulation.
Important facts:
- The study used positron emission tomography (PET) scans to track dopamine release in the brain during exercise and correlated it with improved cognitive performance.
- The findings suggest that voluntary movement, not just forced muscle movements, is essential for enhancing dopamine-related brain function.
- This research could help treat a variety of conditions that are influenced by dopamine, such as Parkinson's disease and ADHD.
sauce: University of Portsmouth
A study investigating the mechanisms behind why cognitive performance improves in response to exercise found that dopamine plays a key role.
Neurotransmitters and hormones associated with pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation are known to increase when you work out. The new findings suggest that it is also associated with faster reaction times during exercise.
Researchers behind this discovery believe that dopamine plays a key role in several conditions such as Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, ADHD, addiction, and depression, leading to new treatments for cognitive health. It is said that there is a possibility that it could lead to a route.
They used a sophisticated scanning device known as positron emission tomography (PET) to measure the release of dopamine in the brain. Tracks metabolic and biochemical activity of cells in the body.
The researchers found that when participants cycled while lying down in the machine, their brains released more dopamine, and this process was associated with improved reaction times.
Dr Joe Costello, from the university's School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences (SHES), said: 'We know that aerobic exercise improves cognitive performance, but the exact mechanisms behind this process have until now been unclear in humans. It had not been rigorously studied.
“Using new brain imaging techniques, we are now able to investigate the role that dopamine plays in improving brain function during exercise, and the results are very promising. Our current research shows that this hormone can improve reaction times. suggesting that it is an important neuromodulator for improvement.
“These findings support the growing body of evidence that exercise prescription is a viable treatment for many health conditions across the lifespan.”
As part of the study, three experiments were conducted with a total of 52 male participants. In the first experiment, subjects were asked to perform cognitive tasks at rest and while cycling in a PET scanner, allowing the research team to monitor the movement of dopamine in the brain.
The second experiment used electrical muscle stimulation to test whether forced muscle movements to stimulate locomotion also improve cognitive performance. The final experiment combined both voluntary and involuntary movements.
Cognitive performance improved in experiments involving voluntary exercise. This was not the case when forced electrical stimulation alone was used.
Soichi Ando, associate professor at the Health and Sports Science Laboratory at the University of Electro-Communications in Japan, said: It exists during the created movement. However, our results show that movement must come from central signals in the brain, not just from the muscles themselves.
“This suggests that when we tell central commands to move during training, it is a process that helps release dopamine in the brain.”
The researchers' previous work looked at the relationship between oxygen levels, cognitive performance, and exercise to test the theory that the more oxygen you breathe during training, the more alert your brain becomes. They found that cycling in and out of environments with low oxygen levels (hypoxia) did not change an individual's reaction time.
“These latest findings support previous theories that cognitive performance during exercise is influenced by changes in brain-regulating hormones such as dopamine,” Dr. Costello added.
“Many other psychophysiological factors may also be involved, such as cerebral blood flow, arousal, and motivation.”
Paper published in Journal of Physiology, They say further research is urgently needed to fully understand how dopamine release is related to post-exercise cognitive performance.
The authors also acknowledge the limitations of a relatively small sample size and recommend that future experiments require more participants over longer periods of time and from a wider range of populations, including women and older adults. There is.
The study was a collaboration between the University of Portsmouth and the University of Chichester in the UK. In Japan, the University of Electro-Communications, Tohoku University, Meiji Yasuda Life Medical Welfare Foundation, and Setsunan University. Sultan Zainal Abidin University, Malaysia. and Taiba University in Taiwan.
About this research news on exercise, dopamine, and cognition
author: robin montagu
sauce: University of Portsmouth
contact: Robin Montagu – University of Portsmouth
image: Image credited to Neuroscience News
Original research: Closed access.
“Neuromodulatory role of dopamine in improving reaction time with acute cardiovascular exerciseWritten by Joe Costello and others. physiology journal
abstract
Neuromodulatory role of dopamine in improving reaction time with acute cardiovascular exercise
Acute cardiovascular exercise improves cognitive performance as evidenced by reduced reaction time (RT). However, the mechanistic understanding of how this occurs remains elusive and rigorous studies in humans have not been conducted.
Here, we use positron emission tomography (PET) to [11C]In the raclopride study, multiple experimental studies investigated whether acute exercise releases endogenous dopamine (DA) in the brain.
We hypothesized that acute exercise might enhance the brain's DA system and that improved RT would be correlated with this endogenous DA release. PET study (Experiment 1: n = 16) demonstrated that acute physical exercise releases endogenous DA, and endogenous DA release is correlated with improved RT in a Go/No-Go task.
Subsequently, two electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) studies (Experiments 2 and 3: n = 18 and 22, respectively), we investigated what triggers RT improvement. EMS studies showed that EMS with moderate arm cranking improved RT, but EMS alone or after combining EMS with no-load arm cranking did not improve RT.
New mechanistic discoveries from these experiments suggest that (1) endogenous DA appears to be an important neuromodulator for RT improvement, and (2) RT is influenced by movement as a central signal from higher brain centers. It changes only when it is related to.
Our findings explain how humans use neuromodulatory systems to rapidly change behavior and have important implications for promoting cognitive health.
