Minimal effort required: A ten-minute run can boost brain processing


Date:
December 6, 2021
Source:
University of Tsukuba
Summary:
Researchers found that as little as ten minutes of
moderate-intensity running could benefit mental health. In study
participants, both mood and cognitive functions improved, and
the activation of bilateral prefrontal subregions associated with
cognitive function and mood also increased.

These results demonstrate the potential advantages of exercise
prescriptions for various conditions including mental health
treatment.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Running may be a useful activity to undertake for better mental health.

University of Tsukuba researchers have found that only ten minutes of
moderate- intensity running increases local blood flow to the various
loci in the bilateral prefrontal cortex -- the part of the brain that
plays an important role in controlling mood and executive functions. These findings may contribute to the development of a wider range of treatment recommendations to benefit mental health.


========================================================================== There's clear evidence that physical activity has many benefits,
such as the ability to improve mood, but in previous studies, cycling
was often the form of exercise studied. Running, however, has always
played an important role in the well-being of humans. The unique form
and efficiency of human running, which includes the ability to sustain
this form of exertion (i.e., by jogging as opposed to sprinting), and
the evolutionary success of humans are closely linked.

Despite this fact, researchers had not yet looked closely at the
effects of running on brain regions that control mood and executive
functions. "Given the extent of executive control required in coordinating balance, movement, and propulsion during running, it is logical that
there would be increased neuronal activation in the prefrontal cortex
and that other functions in this region would benefit from this increase
in brain resources," explains Professor Hideaki Soya.

To test their hypothesis, the research team used the well-established
Stroop Color-Word Test and captured data on hemodynamic changes associated
with brain activity while participants were engaged in each task. For
example, in one task, incongruent information is shown, i.e., the
word red is written in green, and the participant must name the color
rather than read out the word. To do so, the brain must process both
sets of information and inhibit the extraneous information. The Stroop interference effect was quantified by the difference in response times
for this task and those for a simpler version of the task - - stating
the names of color swatches.

The results demonstrated that, after ten minutes of moderate-intensity
running, there was a significant reduction in Stroop interference
effect time.

Furthermore, bilateral prefrontal activation had significantly increased
during the Stroop task. After running, participants reported being in
a better mood.

"This was supported by findings of coincident activations in the
prefrontal cortical regions involved in mood regulation," first author Chorphaka Damrongthai adds.

Given that many characteristics of the human prefrontal cortex are
uniquely human, this study not only sheds light on the present benefits
of running but also on the possible role that these benefits may have
played in the evolutionary past of humans.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Tsukuba. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Chorphaka Damrongthai, Ryuta Kuwamizu, Kazuya Suwabe, Genta Ochi,
Yudai
Yamazaki, Takemune Fukuie, Kazutaka Adachi, Michael A. Yassa,
Worachat Churdchomjan, Hideaki Soya. Benefit of human moderate
running boosting mood and executive function coinciding with
bilateral prefrontal activation. Scientific Reports, 2021; 11 (1)
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021- 01654-z ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/12/211206113037.htm

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