Numerous experiments have shown that playing sports has immediate and positive effects on the brain . In one of the latest studies on the matter, published in The Journal of Neuroscience , a team of scientists from the University of California analyzed brain scans of 38 healthy individuals who had just spent 20 minutes pedaling vigorously.
Conclusion: exercise increased the levels of glutamate and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), two fundamental neurotransmitters for communication between brain cells.
According to Richard Maddock, main author of the work, "the effects lasted about 30 minutes after the end of the pedaling session." The levels of the two substances were higher in subjects who had already trained in the previous weeks, suggesting that regular exercise can cause a sustained increase in these neurotransmitters .
Maddock adds that the first results of a second study on this topic indicate that these chemical changes elicited by exercise improve memory. His team now plans to focus on investigating whether these transformations can help people with depression, who show low levels of glutamate and GABA. Understanding how brain functions and metabolism vary during sedentary and active periods could provide clues to exercise's neurotherapeutic potential .
