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On Wellness, from Bruce

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Exercise and your Brain

February 27th, 2008 • Related • Filed Under

Exercise stimulates your brain to make a chemical called Brain-derived Neurotropic Factor.

BDNF is like fertilizer for our brain’s cells. It causes them to grow, make more connections to other cells and create new brain pathways. It is probably responsible for helping a person to learn better and faster after exercise and is a factor in making the brain resistant to the effects of aging and age-related dementia.

Though exercise can not make you smarter, it can make you better able to learn. According to some researchers exercise can build something just as important as smarts - cognitive reserve. A study of the brains of elderly people in 1989 showed that some people with the brain pathology consistent with Alzheimer’s Disease did not show symptoms. This started a investigation into what is called cognitive reserve.

Many ongoing studies of brain function are confirming this theory that regular brain stimulation through proper diet, regular exercise and life-long learning build a reserve capacity in the brain. This “reserve” allows some to act normally even though their brain shows the signs of dementia disease know as Alzheimer’s. Our social life seems to play an important function in this also.

Names you should know are:

Dr. David Snowdon , Dr. John Ratey, Professor Yaakov Stern,

Dr. Joe Verghese, Dr. David Bennett and some books that should be of special interest on this topic are:

Aging With Grace written by Dr. Snowdon. It is the story of the School Nuns of Notre Dame. These Nuns are active and over 28 of them are over 95 years old. There is something else special, each has agreed to give her brain for research when she dies. You can find a link to a news story about this on NPR.

Spark by John Ratey M.D. Dr. Ratey is a neuro-psychiatrist who has pioneered more work in the use of exercise to enhance learning.

What should you do about this? First and foremost exercise! Also - Click on the links above to learn more. Order one of the above books and read it. Just click on the link. Know one of these or other researchers in this field? Introduce me so I can interview them. Leave a comment below. Let me know if you knew about this information and how the information has impacted you.

Popularity: 5% [?]

There Are 8 Responses So Far. »

Comment by John Ratey on 28 February 2008:

send email to interview me. very happy to do so !
Comment by Bruce Bair on 28 February 2008:

The above comment is from the Author and Researcher Dr. John Ratey. If you click on his name you will be taken to his website. There are many resources there and some video clips of Dr. Ratey. I recommend you take the time to visit his site.

I have sent Dr. Ratey and email to arrange an interview after I read his book, Spark which I ordered last night.
Comment by Catherine Morley on 1 March 2008:

Bruce,

I’m a Bridge player. It’s been long known that those playing Bridge into their old age are smarter than those without the hobby. All that weekly stretching of the brain and all.

And if you have a partner as I have, one who repeatedly changes the agreed bidding system, you are sure to get your brain stretched out at all angles.

(it’s the temper that suffers though …)
Comment by Cindy on 2 March 2008:

I think the connection between the brain and exercise is essential. The state of mind heavily influences people’s outlook on exercise. I think it’s a two way street. More mental focus on exercise results in larger, more consistent returns. Thank you for a neat selection of books. I’ll have to add them to my to do list!
Comment by Being the Change I Wish to See on 3 March 2008:

Wow! With the general lack of exercise and poor physical condition of our children, could this be a factor in children being less able to learn? Maybe the low test scores that everyone complains about are caused by children’s lack of exercise and good physical conditioning.

When I was growing up, an overweight child was an exception. Now it’s the rule. Many children and teens are also suffering type II diabetes, previously an elderly people’s disease. It seems the more schools do away with extra curricular activities and reduce the amount of physical education and very active recess, the worse the test scores become.

I think a return to P.E. class daily for at least 45 minutes through 12th grade would help solve the test score problem. It would help with behavior, too. A return to two recesses a day for kids through 5th grade would also help in this area.

What do you’ll think?
Comment by JoLynn Braley on 3 March 2008:

Hi Bruce,

I enjoy the endorphins that are released when I exercise. It’s good to know that my brain is also getting a workout.

They’ve also done studies in schools for disruptive students - one of the stories was documented in the Super Size Me DVD (one of my favorites). When they added regular exercise to the curriculum along with a change in diet (the kids were fed healthy lunches instead of boxed, processed foods), there was a large change in attitude and learning ability. Neat stuff!
Comment by Bruce Bair on 3 March 2008:

@Being the Change - Over-weight children are quite the norm. More PE and better nutrition must be implemented or we may have the first generation to live shorter lives than the preceding generation. It is proven that exerecise before a test is beneficial to taking that test and that exerecise before your toughest subject benefits the learner.

@JoLynn - that school system was in Napierville Il. You can find out more about it on the pe4life.org site and on Dr John Ratey’s site linked in the article. There is an NBC5 video linked on Ratey’s site about that very school system. If you go to itunes and search Cooper Institute you can find a 45 minute podcast interview with Dr. Ratey and the Napierville PE teacher that got Ratey’s attention.
Comment by JoLynn Braley on 3 March 2008:

Cool Bruce, I’m glad to see that the example at the Illinois school is still being talked about, I was impressed by the story coverage in Super Size Me. Thanks for the follow up info!