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HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) Effect on Your Brain - Thomas DeLauer
Exercise & Blood Flow
Exercise also stimulates the production of new blood vessels aka capillaries - as we make more blood vessels, there are more places for blood to flow, which results in more efficient circulation
Leads to increased blood flow to the brain
Blood Flow & Neurotrophins (BDNF)
Another factor mediating the link between cognition and exercise is neurotrophins, which are proteins that aid neuron survival and function
Exercise promotes the production of neurotrophins, leading to greater brain plasticity, and therefore, better memory and learning
HIIT & BDNF
When you exercise, your muscle cells pump out a protein called FNDC5 - this protein, by fragmenting into a second component called irisin, ramps up production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or
BDNF
It’s BDNF that stimulates the production of new neurons or nerve cells and actually helps your brain build new architecture - plus, BDNF protects nerve cells against damage, including damage related to aging
A study published in the journal PNAS found that in 120 older adults, that aerobic exercise training increased the size of the anterior hippocampus, leading to improvements in spatial memory
Exercise training increased hippocampal volume by 2%, effectively reversing age-related loss in volume by 1 to 2 years - increased hippocampal volume is associated with greater serum levels of BDNF
Intensity of Exercise (HIIT vs LISS)
Despite the last study looking at aerobic exercise, it’s been shown that HIIT leads to greater increases in BDNF than LISS as it places more stress on the body:
Study
A study published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise looked at the effects of HIIT vs LISS on BDNF levels in 15 volunteers
On separate days, two subsequent 30-min endurance rides were performed at 20% below the VTh (VTh - 20) and at 10% above the VTh (VTh + 10)
BDNF values (pg x mL(-1)) increased from baseline after exercise at the VTh + 10 (13%) and the GXT (30%). There was no significant change in BDNF from baseline after the VTh - 20. Changes in BDNF did not correlate with VO2max during the GXT, but they did correlate with changes in lactate
Blood Flow & Neurogenesis
*Neurotrophins are proteins that help to stimulate and control neurogenesis, BDNF being one of the most active*
As your increased breathing pumps more oxygen into your bloodstream, more oxygen is delivered to your brain
This leads to neurogenesis - or the production of neurons - in certain parts of your brain that control memory and thinking
*Note that mild stress can increase adult neurogenesis, while prolonged and unpredictable stress has an opposite effect
Possible mechanisms for exercise-induced effects on hippocampal neurogenesis:
When the hedonic component of a physical activity is more significant than the stress response, it may increase the levels of growth factors (BDNF, fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)) and neurotransmitters (serotonin (5-HT)) in the hippocampal formation (HF) enough to promote neurogenesis
Neural progenitor cells (NPCs) activated to produce neurons have been identified in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus and the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricles in rodents, primates, and humans
SVZ and SGZ NPCs in the adult brain are able to generate neurons and glia not only during development but also in adulthood
Exercise leads to an increased cerebral blood flow and angiogenesis and affects blood-brain barrier permeability to increase accessibility of NPCs to blood-derived growth factors, such as VEGF
Running can induce increased hippocampal BDNF levels, leading to increased neurogenesis - supports the existence of quiescent NPCs in the hippocampus, which can be activated when they are challenged
So exercise has the potential to increase hippocampal neurogenesis by releasing neurogenesis-promoting factors in the circulation (even in very old individuals)
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