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Running protects against the negative effects of chronic stress on memory. That’s the conclusion of researchers at Brigham Young University.
Chronic stress
Stress sucks. Besides the mental complaints, it can cause numerous physical complaints. Previous research from Brigham Young, for example, showed that stress is just as bad for your intestines as junk food. Even as an athlete, you can experience the downsides of this. Stress can lead to increased muscle breakdown and longer recovery after training. However, athletes are better protected against stress and its effects.
Chronic stress and memory
Exercise works to reduce stress. In many treatment plans aimed at stress relief, exercise is even the first step [2]. Recent research from Brigham Young shows that running also protects memory against the effects of stress in the hippocampus. This part of the brain is responsible for learning and memory.
Memory and the retrieval of memories in the hippocampus are determined by repetition. Connections between neurons, synapses, become stronger the more you use them. This process of strengthening synapses is called
long-term potentiation (LTP). Think of it as a forest path that becomes overgrown when no one walks on it for a while. Chronic stress is like pouring plant food on the forest path. It weakens the synapses, thereby reducing LTP and ultimately diminishing memory.
Research from Brigham Young University shows that long-term potentiation is not influenced by stress in mice that run.
Running, stress, and memory
The team conducted experiments with mice, with one group running on a treadmill (average 5km per day) and the other group not. Half of both groups were then exposed to stress-inducing conditions. Think of walking on an elevated platform or swimming in cold water. An hour after causing stress, the researchers conducted electrophysiology to measure LTP. In addition, memory in both groups was measured by having the mice run through a maze multiple times. The number of mistakes made by the mice was recorded.
The ‘stress mice’ in the running group had significantly higher long-term potentiation than the stressed mice in the inactive group. It also turned out that the trained stressed mice performed as well in the memory test (the maze) as the trained but unstressed mice. All trained mice performed better in the maze than the untrained mice, regardless of stress status.
The ideal situation for improving learning and memory would be to experience no stress and to exercise. Of course, we can’t always control stress in our lives, but we can control how much we exercise. It’s empowering to know that we can combat the negative impacts of stress on our brains just by getting out and running
Jeff Edwards, Brigham Young University
Strength training, stress, and memory
This research focused on running. This is partly because it’s easy physical activity for mice. A typical training split where the mice train chest and biceps on Monday is a bit more challenging. So, cardio seems easier to test in mice than strength training. Moreover, running is a very accessible form of cardio.
Previous studies have also shown the stress-reducing effect of other forms of exercise. So, I also take into account that my shoulder workout this morning may have raked some leaves off my forest path.
References
- Roxanne M. Miller, David Marriott, Jacob Trotter, Tyler Hammond, Dane Lyman, Timothy Call, Bethany Walker, Nathanael Christensen, Deson Haynie, Zoie Badura, Morgan Homan, Jeffrey G. Edwards. Running exercise mitigates the negative consequences of chronic stress on dorsal hippocampal long-term potentiation in male mice. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 2018; 149: 28 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2018.01.008
- Anderson E, Shivakumar G. Effects of Exercise and Physical Activity on Anxiety. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 2013;4:27. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2013.00027.
