Posted on 01/15/2023 9:16:43 PM PST by ConservativeMind
Six minutes of high-intensity exercise could extend the lifespan of a healthy brain and delay the onset of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. New research published in The Journal of Physiology shows that a short but intense bout of cycling increases the production of a specialized protein that is essential for brain formation, learning and memory, and could protect the brain from age-related cognitive decline.
The specialized protein named brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) promotes neuroplasticity (the ability of the brain to form new connections and pathways) and the survival of neurons. Animal studies have shown that increasing the availability of BDNF encourages the formation and storage of memories, enhances learning and overall boosts cognitive performance.
They found that brief but vigorous exercise was the most efficient way to increase BDNF compared to one day of fasting with or without a lengthy session of light exercise. BDNF increased by four to five-fold (396 pg L-1 to 1170 pg L-1) more compared to fasting (no change in BDNF concentration) or prolonged activity (slight increase in BDNF concentration, 336 pg L-1 to 390 pg L-1).
The observed increase in BDNF during exercise could be due to the increased number of platelets (the smallest blood cell), which store large amounts of BDNF. The concentration of platelets circulating in the blood is more heavily influenced by exercise than fasting and increases by 20%.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Basketball. Soccer. Or tag.
Terrific info. I’m going back to the gym tomorrow. Had planned to anyway, but now action is assured.
Used to be called sex.
Headline #1: Six minutes of high intensity exercise...
Headline #2: Women on average require at least 15 minutes to reach orgasm.
Pawn Stars Guy: Best I can do is 30 seconds.
It’s getting that, for me, 6 minutes of high intensity exercise is putting my underwear on without falling over.
How about walking three to four miles in the course of a day? Does that work?
One little purple pill a day might do it, too. /s
Does powerwalking at grocery store count?
A tabata workout.
Putting on socks and shoes has gotten pretty exhausting.
HIIT
When you follow the linked articles down the rabbit hole, it leads to AMPAkines which are positive allosteric neuromodulators.
Ampakines work by allosterically binding to a type of ionotropic glutamate receptor, called AMPA receptors.
These are also being studied for sleep apnea treatment.
For anyone wanting an easy read article to assist in better understanding BDNF:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fncel.2019.00363/full
Exercise also down regulates cortisol which has a negative influence on BDNF.
An inverse relationship between cortisol and BDNF levels in schizophrenia: data from human postmortem and animal studies
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20451611/
Carbohydrate-restricted Diet and Exercise Increase Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor and Cognitive Function: A Randomized Crossover Trial
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6822553/
“Putting on socks and shoes has gotten pretty exhausting”.
One can always walk around barefoot...
Sleep apnea can be treated by taking vitamin B1. A friend of ours took it for his apnea, and it worked.
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