How to Use Exercise to Improve Your Brain’s Health, Longevity & Performance
Huberman Lab
Deep Dive
WHY does exercise improve brain health?
Exercise enhances brain health through multiple pathways. It elevates autonomic arousal (alertness) via the release of adrenaline, which activates the vagus nerve, stimulating the locus coeruleus to release norepinephrine in the brain. This enhances attention, focus, and learning. Exercise also releases osteocalcin from bones, which, alongside BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), promotes neuron growth and connections in the hippocampus, crucial for memory. Additionally, lactate, produced during intense exercise, acts as an appetite suppressant and brain fuel, sparing glucose for cognitive functions. It also stimulates VEGF, strengthening the blood-brain barrier, vital for long-term brain health.
What are the immediate effects of exercise on the brain?
Acutely, exercise enhances cognitive performance, memory, and cognitive flexibility. Even short bursts of high-intensity exercise, like six-second sprints, can significantly improve cognitive function due to increased arousal. However, excessive high-intensity training can diminish performance due to reduced cerebral blood flow.
How does arousal impact learning?
Elevated arousal, whether during or after learning, improves memory consolidation, detail retention, and the ability to apply learned information. This is mediated by the release of cortisol and adrenaline. Exercise increases arousal and can therefore be strategically timed before, during, or after learning sessions to enhance knowledge retention.
Which exercises are most effective for brain health?
A balanced exercise program for brain health should include: 1) Long, slow distance cardio (45-75 minutes) for improved cerebral blood flow; 2) High-intensity interval training (HIIT) for enhanced arousal and cognitive function; 3) Time under tension (TUT) resistance training to promote muscle-brain communication and hypertrophy; 4) Explosive jumping with eccentric landing to stimulate osteocalcin release and BDNF production, benefiting the hippocampus; and 5) Engaging in challenging exercises you dislike to activate the anterior mid-cingulate cortex (AMCC), associated with "super-aging" and cognitive resilience.
What is the role of the anterior mid-cingulate cortex (AMCC) in brain health?
The AMCC is crucial for tenacity, willpower, and leaning into challenges. Its activity is linked to grit, persistence, and willingness to exert effort. Maintaining or increasing AMCC size, primarily achieved by engaging in challenging activities one dislikes, is correlated with "super-aging," where individuals maintain cognitive function well into older age.
How does sleep interact with exercise for brain health?
Sleep mediates many of exercise's positive effects on the brain. Exercise improves sleep architecture, particularly deep sleep and REM sleep, vital for learning and memory consolidation. Conversely, while exercise can offset some negative cognitive effects of a single night of poor sleep, chronic sleep deprivation negatively impacts brain health and increases injury risk.
What happens to the brain when we stop exercising?
Detraining for 10 days or more leads to significant decreases in brain oxygenation and other markers of brain health. Consistent exercise is essential for maintaining cognitive function.
- Different forms of exercise (cardiovascular, resistance) improve brain function acutely and chronically.
- Autonomic arousal, increased by exercise, plays a significant role in improved cognitive performance.
- Studies explore acute (immediate) and chronic (long-term) effects of various exercise protocols.
Shownotes Transcript