A new study led by Dr. Flaminia Ronca from University College London reports that increasing physical fitness leads to a greater release of brain-boosting proteins following a single session of exercise, according to findings published on Mar. 9 in Brain Research.
The research is significant because it suggests that even previously inactive individuals can enhance their brain's response to exercise through consistent training. The study focused on the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein known to support the formation and maintenance of neurons and synapses, which are crucial for healthy brain function.
Researchers enrolled 30 participants—23 male and seven female—in a 12-week cycling program, with sessions three times per week. Fitness levels were assessed every six weeks using VO2max tests, which measure the body's maximum oxygen consumption during intense activity. BDNF levels were measured before and after these tests, alongside cognitive and memory assessments and monitoring of prefrontal cortex activity.
By the end of the program, participants did not show changes in baseline BDNF levels but exhibited larger spikes in BDNF following intense exercise compared to their responses before training. These increases were linked to improvements in aerobic fitness as measured by VO2max scores. The study also found that higher overall BDNF levels and stronger post-exercise increases correlated with changes in prefrontal cortex activity during attention and inhibition tasks.
The researchers concluded that improving physical fitness enhances the brain's ability to produce BDNF after acute bouts of exercise, potentially benefiting neural activity related to executive functions such as decision-making and emotion regulation.
