Posted on 04/19/2023 9:18:27 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
Physical activity is frequently cited as a means of improving physical and mental health. Researchers have shown that it may also improve brain health more directly. They studied how the chemical signals released by exercising muscles promote neuronal development in the brain.
When muscles contract during exercise, like the biceps working to lift a heavy weight, they release a variety of compounds into the bloodstream. These compounds can travel to different parts of the body, including the brain. The researchers were particularly interested in how exercise could benefit a particular part of the brain called the hippocampus.
To isolate the chemicals released by contracting muscles and test them on hippocampal neurons, the researchers collected small muscle cell samples from mice and grew them in cell culture dishes in the lab. When the muscle cells matured, they began to contract on their own, releasing their chemical signals into the cell culture.
The research team added the culture, which now contained the chemical signals from the mature muscle cells, to another culture containing hippocampal neurons and other support cells known as astrocytes.
The results were striking. Exposure to the chemical signals from contracting muscle cells caused hippocampal neurons to generate larger and more frequent electrical signals—a sign of robust growth and health.
To uncover more of the pathway linking exercise to better brain health, they next focused on the role of astrocytes in mediating this relationship.
The researchers found that removing astrocytes from cell cultures caused neurons to fire even more electrical signals, suggesting that without the astrocytes, neurons continued to grow—perhaps to a point where they might become unmanageable.
"Astrocytes play a critical role in mediating the effects of exercise," Lee said. "By regulating neuronal activity and preventing hyperexcitability of neurons, astrocytes contribute to the balance necessary for optimal brain function."
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
So be sure to exercise.
Engaging in Sex is a plus?
Who knew?
Exercise and diet and you will have a good life.
I think the article means ‘while exercising’.
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So, does a lack of astrocytes cause anxiety?
The hippocampus is responsible for long term logical memory storage and retreival.
This is why bodybuilders have such a reputation for being erudite and wise.
J/k
Although as an unlikely meathead, most serious lifters I’ve met are quite intelligent.
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