How running pumps the brain

Increases the speed of information processing

Long, vigorous jogging speeds up your brain's response to environmental stimuli.

Scientists discovered this using a test with a critical flicker frequency: a person looks at a flickering light signal, the flashes repeat faster and faster until they merge into even light. The longer a person notices the flicker, the higher the excitation of the cerebral cortex and the speed of information processing.

Participants in the experiment were asked to take a test before and after a 30-minute run. It turned out that after prolonged vigorous running, the excitation of the cerebral cortex increased in people. Short super-intense runs did not have this effect.

After running, you will be quicker to perceive new information and solve problems.

Improves attention and ability to control it

Running affects the executive functions of the brain: the ability to plan, adjust to circumstances, and choose what to focus on. And not only a long run, but also a sprint.

Scientists have found that just 10 minutes of interval sprint significantly improves results in the Stroop test, where you need to name the colors of the inscriptions without being distracted by the text.

Moreover, the effect of consistent running training is cumulative: seven weeks of regular running improves a person's ability to adapt to new circumstances and act effectively in new conditions.

However, the brain works better not only immediately after a run. From regular aerobic exercise, it undergoes long-term sustainable changes.

Scientists have studied runners and unsportsmanlike people at rest, without prior jogging. And in the former, they found stronger connections in the fronto-parietal network of the brain, which is responsible for working memory and other executive functions.

At the same time, athletes were depressed by the passive mode of the brain (Default mode network, DMN), during which a person thinks relaxedly, gets distracted and jumps from thought to thought.

Even at rest, runners find it easier to focus and remove distractions than unsportsmanlike people.

Protects against depression

Passive work is often associated with depression. Reducing the time it takes to function in runners helps protect mental health.

However, this is not the only defense mechanism against depression. Besides DMN, running affects the brain through kynurenine metabolism.

This substance is formed from the amino acid tryptophan. One part of tryptophan is converted into serotonin and melatonin, hormones necessary for a good mood, and the other part into kynurenine.

Under the influence of stress and inflammation, the kynurenine pathway begins to prevail, and the production of serotonin is inhibited. In the brain, kynurenine is converted into various substances: harmful neurotoxins (3-hydroxykitonurin) or beneficial neuroprotective agents (kynurenic acid).

Running helps to shift the balance towards the latter. During extended endurance training, skeletal muscle releases kynurenine aminotransferase, a substance that converts kynurenine to acid.

This prevents its buildup, helps protect the brain, and prevent stress-related depression.

Brings a feeling of euphoria

After a long run, a state of euphoria sets in. Many athletes know this, but until recently, scientists did not understand what mechanism to thank for this.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the idea of "endorphin fever" was popular. Several studies have confirmed that the level of beta-endorphins increases while running. These substances act on opioid receptors and have a similar effect to opiates.

In 2008, thanks to a study by German scientists, this theory was confirmed. Using positron emission tomography, they showed that after two hours of running, there is an effect on opioid receptors in different areas of the brain. And it coincides with the feeling of euphoria reported by the runners.

Scientists also suggest that endocannabioids are partly involved in the athlete's euphoria. Just 30 minutes of running at moderate intensity increases their number, reducing anxiety and pain.

This exposure is safe for health, but everything is good in moderation. On incredibly intense, exhausting flights, running starts to affect the brain badly.

For example, scientists scanned the brains of runners before, during and after the 4,500-kilometer Trans-European Ultramarathon. At half of this crazy distance, the gray matter of marathon runners has decreased in volume by 6% - in a month, their brains seem to have aged 30 years.

Fortunately, eight months after the extreme run, the gray matter volume returned to its previous values.

Since few people are capable of such distances, there is no need to fear serious damage. You will only benefit from long runs: improve attention and processing speed, learn to cope better with stress and protect yourself from depression.