Question

Discussion #2
we discussed skeletal muscle and neurological function. This discussion post should integrate the two systems. Does exercise have any effect on brain function? If so, explain how AND use scholarly, peer reviewed literature to support your response (this should be a journal article). If not, explain why AND use scholarly, peer reviewed literature to support your reasoning (this should be a journal article).

Answer 1

ANSWER:

YES, there is a co-relation between exercise and brain function that is exercise of skeletal muscle show increase neurological functions.

@ Exercise improves major functions of brain and affect multiple brain areas and mechanisms.

@ the major functions of the brain include- Memory, Decision making, multitasking, planning, attention etc.

@ brain areas and mechanism include- neurotransmitter(such as acetylcholine, GABA etc.), neurotrophins(BDNF), neural morphology, angiogenesis(new blood vessel formation) and hippocampal neurogenesis(new neuron formation.)

@ therefore regular exercise (intense or running) leads to change in brain structure and promote the growth of new nerve cells and blood vessels.

@ exercise increase blood flow to the brain

@ it also increases the production of neuro-chemicals such as BDNF, IGF-1 that promotes the growth, differentiation,survival, and repain of brain cell

EXPERIMENTAL OBSERVATION

@ in an experiment on mice it has show that exercise regulate brain functions and cognitive behavior both in young mice and elder mice.

@ exercise ----------->>>>Neurogenesis in hippocampus and outside hippocampus(hippocampus is a center for neuron stem cell)

@Exercise----------->>>> Angiogenesis(blood vessel formation) outside/inside hippocampal region-------->>> Active memory

@the experiment shows that exercise increases angiogenesis in hippocampus in youngs but show no or moderate improvement of performance in adults/elders.

OVERALL PATHWAY

  @ BDNF( brain derived neuro-trophic factor) is an important neurotrophic chemical which produce throughout the brain uniformly but show increase production in hippocampal region during exercise.

@ the molecular pathway or events is incompletely understood but an outline is presented to show how does exercise improve brain function and what happens to our brain during exercise, below in a schematic diagram

  

@ effective exercise affect the hippocampus region of the brain and activate various genes of synaptic plasticity.

@ genes for glutamatergic system up-regulated and genes for GABA system downregulated.

@ the up-regulated glutamatergic system leads to increase in new dentate gyrus in hippocampus for neurogenesis.

@ exercise leads to the elevation of NR2A and NR2B, subtypes of NMDA receptor.

@ mice lacking NR2A or NMDA receptor leads to increase neurogenesis and BDNF show no role .

@ but increase NR2B , the glutamate receptor 5 and BDNF gene expression leads to active brain function.