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Brain and exercise. The boat to a deeper insight in the significance of physical fitness
Abstract   Peer reviewed

Brain and exercise. The boat to a deeper insight in the significance of physical fitness

Stefan Schneider and Christopher D Askew
Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, Vol.12(Supplement 1), p.S76
asics Conference of Science and Medicine in Sport, 2008 (Hamilton Island, Australia, 16-Oct-2008–18-Oct-2008)
2009
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2008.12.182
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2008.12.182View
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Abstract

Human Movement and Sports Science exercise physical fitness brain activity
Introduction: The relationship between physical exercise and the human brain is going to develop as one of the key areas of sports medicine and science. To date the display of neural processes within the brain did require extreme complex and costly methods such as PET and fMRI. While both seem therefore only applicable to a small number of approaches, low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) enables the spatial identification and analysis of brain cortical activity via traditional EEG recordings. This study aimed to identify cortical regions that are affected by physical exercise. Methods: EEG was recorded before and after running at 80% V02 peak on 18 healthy subjects aged 20-45 years. LORETA analysis of alpha-, beta- and gamma-activity served to statistically identify and display cortical regions that were affected by exercise. While alpha activity generally reflects normal brain function, beta indicates excitatory CNS activity. Results: Data revealed a temporary increase of alpha-activity (8-12 Hz) in the frontal lobe combined with a decrease of beta-activity (12-35) and gamma-activity (35-48 Hz) in the occipital and temporal lobes immediately post exercise. Fifteen minutes post-exercise the alpha increase vanished whereas beta and gamma changes remained stable. Conclusion: A decrease of brain cortical activity, especially in the higher frequency areas has been postulated before and was interpreted as a decrease of cortical excitability. The fact that this now can be localised in specific regions might enhance the discussion about effects of exercise on brain performance and efficiency. [Presented at the asics Conference of science and medicine in sport 2008]

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