How exercise could reduce relapse during meth withdrawal
November 4, 2014
Science Daily/The Scripps Research Institute
Even brief workouts can reduce the risk of relapse in rats withdrawing from methamphetamine, research shows. In addition, the research team found that exercise affected the neurons in a brain region that had never before been associated with meth withdrawal, suggesting a new direction for drug development.
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141104083700.htm
Want to improve your putt? Try listening to jazz
November 12, 2014
Science Daily/Clarkson University
Listening to jazz music while putting can boost your performance on the putting green, according to new research. While any kind of music improves performance compared to listening to no music at all, jazz is the most effective musical genre for improving putting.
While any kind of music improves performance compared to listening to no music at all, jazz is the most effective musical genre for improving putting, according to a study, which was recently published in the Journal of Athletic Enhancement.
The 22 participants in the research were university Division I golfers, an average of 20 years old with at least eight years of golf experience. Each of them completed a series of six trials, which comprised attempting five putts at four pre-designated locations around a hole. In a randomized order, participants were required to listen to either no music or a musical genre that included classical, country, rock, jazz, and hip hop/rap while putting.
Clarkson University Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy & Physician Assistant Studies Ali Boolani says that music can enhance performance in other sports too. "Other research has shown that country music improves batting, rap music improves jump shots and running is improved by any up-temp music. But the benefit of music in fine motor control situations was relatively unknown. Hopefully, this is the first step in answering this question."
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141112102515.htm
Jogging keeps you young: Seniors who run regularly can walk as efficiently as 20-somethings
November 20, 2014
Science Daily/Humboldt State University
A new study is shedding light on an unexpected benefit of jogging in older adults. The study looked at adults over the age of 65 -- some of whom walk for exercise and some who run for exercise. The researchers found that those who run at least 30 minutes, three times a week were less likely to experience age-related physical decline in walking efficiency than those who simply walked.
http://images.sciencedaily.com/2014/11/141120141436-large.jpg
In fact, the older runners were 7-10 percent more efficient at walking than those who didn't jog.
The paper will be published online in the journal PLOS ONE Nov. 20.
"What we found is that older adults who regularly participate in high aerobic activities -- running in particular -- have what we call a lower metabolic cost of walking than older, sedentary adults. In fact, their metabolic cost of walking is similar to young adults in their 20s," said Justus Ortega, a Kinesiology Professor at Humboldt State and director of HSU's Biomechanics Lab.
Metabolic cost is the amount of energy needed to move and naturally increases as we age. High metabolic cost contributes to making walking more difficult and tiring. Decline in walking ability is a key predictor of morbidity in older adults.
In the study, researchers looked at self-reported older joggers over the age of 65 -- those who ran at least 30 minutes a day, three times a week -- and self-reported walkers, those who walked three times a week for 30 minutes.
Participants were asked to walk on a treadmill at three speeds (1.6, 2.8 and 3.9 miles per hour) as researchers measured their oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production.
Overall, older joggers were 7-10 percent more efficient at walking than older adults who just walked for exercise. Their metabolic cost was similar to young people in their 20s.
Researchers aren't yet sure what makes joggers more efficient than walkers but they believe it may have something to do with the mitochondria found in cells. Evidence suggests that people who exercise vigorously have healthier mitochondria in their muscles.
"The bottom line is that running keeps you younger, at least in terms of efficiency," said Rodger Kram, a Professor of Integrative Physiology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a co-author of the paper.
Future studies are planned to examine whether other highly-aerobic activities -- such as swimming and cycling -- also mitigate age-related physical decline.
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141120141436.htm
Athletes' testosterone surges not tied to winning, study finds
November 25, 2014
Science Daily/Emory Health Sciences
A higher surge of testosterone in competition, the so-called 'winner effect,' is not actually related to winning, suggests a new study of intercollegiate cross country runners.
"Many people in the scientific literature and in popular culture link testosterone increases to winning," Casto says. "In this study, however, we found an increase in testosterone during a race regardless of the athletes' finish time. In fact, one of the runners with the highest increases in testosterone finished with one of the slowest times."
The study, which analyzed saliva samples of participants, also showed that testosterone levels rise in athletes during the warm-up period. "It's surprising that not only does competition itself, irrespective of outcome, substantially increase testosterone, but also that testosterone begins to increase before the competition even begins, long before status of winner or loser are determined," Casto says.
This research follows on the heels of a 2013 study of women athletes in a variety of sports by Edwards and Casto, published in Hormones and Behavior. They found that, provided levels of the stress hormone cortisol were low, the higher a woman's testosterone, the higher her status with teammates.
The body uses cortisol for vital functions like metabolizing glucose. "Over short periods, an increase in cortisol can be a good thing, but over long periods of chronic stress, it is maladaptive," Casto says. "Among groups of women athletes, achieving status may require a delicate balance between stress and the actions or behaviors carried out as a team leader." Higher baseline levels of testosterone have been linked to long-term strength and power, such as higher status positions in companies.
"Although short-term surges of testosterone in competition have been associated with winning, they may instead be indicators of a psychological strength for competition, the drive to win," Casto says.
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141125111849.htm
Cerebral oxygenation in elite Kenyan athletes
December 5, 2014
Science Daily/University of the Basque Country
A pioneering study in the world of the physiology of exercise describes for the first time that elite Kenyan athletes have greater brain oxygenation during periods of maximum physical effort, which contributes to their success in long-distance races.
The Journal of Applied Physiology has published an article by Jordan Santos-Concejero of the Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences of the University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU), and entitled `Maintained cerebral oxygenation during maximal self-paced exercise in elite Kenyan runners'. This is a pioneering study in the world of the physiology of exercise, given that it describes for the first time that elite Kenyan athletes have greater brain oxygenation during periods of maximum physical effort, and which contributes to their success in long-distance races.
Brain activity
It has been observed that, when cerebral oxygenation in the prefrontal lobule falls, the neural activity in this zone also drops. This zone is closely linked to the control of movement and to decision-making, and it has thus been put forward that this reduction in neuronal activity may explain the drop in performance observed amongst European athletes, on cerebral oxygenation reducing.
Given that, with the Kenyan athletes, this reduction does not occur, "we believe that the neuronal activation in the prefrontal lobule is not compromised and perhaps this capacity of maintaining their cerebral oxygenation in a stable way may contribute to their great performance in long-distance trials," explained the UPV/EHU teacher.
The research also focused on the possible causes of this particularity of African athletes, attributing their stable cerebral oxygenation during maximum effort to early lifestyle factors such as the prenatal exposure to high altitudes and the high levels of physical activity during childhood.
"The prenatal exposure to high altitudes has protector effects on the fetus, greater blood flow to the uterine artery, which may involve greater cardiopulmonary capacity in adulthood and, consequently, less incidence of arterial desaturation during high-intensity exercises," concluded the research.
Also, the undertaking of physical exercise regularly during childhood implies benefits such as increase in ventricular mass and motor coordination, lower levels of cytokines and, most importantly, greater neural growth as a consequence of the greater vascularization of the encephalus. "This last point may partially explain why their cerebral oxygenation is maintained during periods of maximum effort," stated Jordan Santos-Concejero.
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141205093828.htm
Light jogging may be most optimal for longevity: Too much strenuous jogging may be harmful
February 2, 2015
Science Daily/American College of Cardiology
Jogging may be best in small quantities according to a new study. The study, which tracked hours of jogging, frequency, and the individual's perception of pace, found that over the 12-year study strenuous joggers were as likely to die as sedentary non-joggers, while light joggers had the lowest rates of death.
Researchers looked at 5,048 healthy participants in the Copenhagen City Heart Study and questioned them about their activity. They identified and tracked 1,098 healthy joggers and 413 healthy but sedentary non-joggers for 12 years.
The study, which tracked hours of jogging, frequency, and the individual's perception of pace, found that over the 12-year study strenuous joggers were as likely to die as sedentary non-joggers, while light joggers had the lowest rates of death.
Jogging from 1 to 2.4 hours per week was associated with the lowest mortality and the optimal frequency of jogging was no more than three times per week. Overall, significantly lower mortality rates were found in those with a slow or moderate jogging pace, while the fast-paced joggers had almost the same mortality risk as the sedentary non-joggers.
Researchers registered 28 deaths among joggers and 128 among sedentary non-joggers. In general, the joggers were younger, had lower blood pressure and body mass index, and had a lower prevalence of smoking and diabetes.
"It is important to emphasize that the pace of the slow joggers corresponds to vigorous exercise and strenuous jogging corresponds to very vigorous exercise," said Peter Schnohr, MD, DMSc, a researcher from the Copenhagen City Heart Study, Frederiksberg Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark. "When performed for decades, this activity level could pose health risks, especially to the cardiovascular system."
These findings show similar results to past studies where researchers have found that more than moderate exercise may cause more harm than good.
"The U-shaped association between jogging and mortality suggests there may be an upper limit for exercise dosing that is optimal for health benefits," Schnohr said. "If your goal is to decrease risk of death and improve life expectancy, jogging a few times a week at a moderate pace is a good strategy. Anything more is not just unnecessary, it may be harmful."
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150202160703.htm
Short bouts of high-intensity exercise before a fatty meal best for vascular health
March 30, 2015
Science Daily/University of Exeter
A short burst of intensive exercise before eating a high fat meal is better for blood vessel function in young people than the currently recommended moderate-intensity exercise, according to a new study. Cardiovascular diseases including heart attacks and stroke a leading cause of death, and the process underlying these diseases start in youth. An impairment in the function of blood vessels is thought to be the earliest event in this process, and this is known to occur in the hours after consuming a high fat meal.
Cardiovascular diseases including heart attacks and stroke are the leading cause of death in the UK, and the process underlying these diseases start in youth. An impairment in the function of blood vessels is thought to be the earliest event in this process, and this is known to occur in the hours after consuming a high fat meal.
Performing exercise before a high fat meal is known to prevent this impairment in blood vessel function, but no study has yet identified what type of exercise is best.
The study, published in the American Journal of Physiology -- Heart and Circulatory Physiology, compared high-intensity, interval exercise against moderate-intensity exercise on blood vessel function in adolescent boys and girls after they had consumed a high fat milkshake.
It showed that approximately 25 minutes of moderate-intensity cycling prevented the fall in blood vessel function after the high fat meal. However, performing just eight minutes of high-intensity cycling not only prevented this fall, but improved blood vessel function to a level that was superior to moderate-intensity exercise.
Dr Alan Barker, of the Children's Health and Exercise Research Centre, Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Exeter, said: "Our study shows that the intensity of exercise plays an important part in protecting blood vessel function in young people after the ingestion of a high fat meal."
"Furthermore, both the boys and girls found the high-intensity exercise to be more enjoyable than the moderate-intensity exercise. Considering that very few adolescents currently achieve the recommended minimum of one hour of at least moderate-intensity exercise per day, smaller amounts of exercise performed at a higher-intensity might offer an attractive alternative to improve blood vessel function in adolescents."
The researchers say the next step is to move the work beyond healthy adolescents and study those with risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as obesity and type I diabetes.
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150330112337.htm
Exercise with a physiotherapist helps people with depression
June 12, 2015
Science Daily/University of Gothenburg
Exercise has a positive effect on depression. A researcher evaluated exercise as add-on therapy to medicating with antidepressants. The experiments showed that people who participated in exercise aimed at increasing their physical fitness clearly improved their mental health compared with the control group.
In a study at the Sahlgrenska Academy, the researcher evaluated exercise as add-on therapy to medicating with antidepressants. The study divided 62 individuals with diagnosed clinical depression into three groups, in which two participated in two different types of exercise with a physiotherapist twice a week for 10 weeks while the third, the control group, did not participate in systematic exercise.
Person-centered approach
The exercise in the study was based on a person-centered approach, where the exercises were adapted to the participant's needs, expectations and previous experiences.
The experiments showed that people who participated in exercise aimed at increasing their physical fitness clearly improved their mental health compared with the control group.
Reduced depressive symptoms
Even participants who were coached in basal body awareness reduced their depressive symptoms, although not as significantly.
"In our follow-up interviews for the study, participants spoke about how they felt alive again and became more active. One woman expressed this to mean that the workout "kick starts my body and helps me get the strength to crawl out of this cocoon that I am in," reports Ph.D. student Louise Danielsson, who reviews the studies in her dissertation.
More social contacts
The studies show that the participants who exercised felt that they had the strength to do more at home and engaged in more social contacts.
But it is not so easy to simply start exercising. The participants described how their depression created a resistance to leaving the house and this makes it difficult have the mental energy to desire to be physically active. Several participants stressed the importance the support they received the physiotherapist, and that exercising together with other participants constituted a meaningful connection.
Importance of design and context
The dissertation's results supports previous research on the antidepressant effects of exercise and highlights the importance of the design and context of the exercise, as well as the opportunities for professional support.
"Our results show that exercise can be used within primary care with the rehabilitation of people with depression," concludes Louise Danielsson.
The dissertation "Moved by movement: a person-centered approach to physical therapy in the treatment of major depression" was defended at a public defense of the dissertation on 2 June.
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/06/150612091327.htm
New biomarkers show exercise helps reduce daytime sleep disorder
August 11, 2015
Science Daily/UT Southwestern Medical Center
Aerobic exercise can help alleviate excessive daytime sleepiness among depressed individuals, researchers have found. Researchers looking at blood samples identified two biological markers for the condition, called hypersomnia, which is characterized by sleeping too much at night as well as excessive daytime sleepiness, in those with Major Depressive Disorder.
Researchers looking at blood samples identified two biological markers for the condition, called hypersomnia, which is characterized by sleeping too much at night as well as excessive daytime sleepiness, in those with Major Depressive Disorder. Exercise reduced the levels of the two biomarker proteins, resulting in reduced excessive sleepiness, the researchers found.
"Hypersomnia, as well as insomnia, have been linked in the development, treatment, and recurrence of depression. Sleep disturbances are also some of the most persistent symptoms in depression. Identifying these biomarkers, combined with new understanding of the important role of exercise in reducing hypersomnia, have potential implications in the treatment of major depressive disorder," said senior author Dr. Madhukar Trivedi, Director of UT Southwestern's Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care, and Chief of the Mood Disorders Division of Psychiatry at UT Southwestern.
People with hypersomnia are compelled to nap repeatedly during the day, often at inappropriate times such as at work, during a meal, or in conversation. They often have difficulty waking from a long sleep, and may feel disoriented upon waking, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Other symptoms may include anxiety, increased irritation, decreased energy, restlessness, slow thinking, slow speech, loss of appetite, hallucinations, and memory difficulty. Some patients lose the ability to function in family, social, occupational, or other settings.
Researchers had previously found a negative loop in which sleep, inflammation and depression interact and progressively worsen. The results of the current and previous research on insomnia suggest that exercise may be resetting this negative feedback loop, said Dr. Trivedi, who holds the Betty Jo Hay Distinguished Chair in Mental Health, and received the 2015 American Psychiatric Association Award for Research, the Association's most significant award for research.
The researchers were able to identify the biomarkers based on blood samples provided by participants in the Treatment with Exercise Augmentation for Depression (TREAD) study, who were randomly assigned to two types of aerobic exercise to determine the effects of exercise on their depression. More than 100 subjects ages 18 to 70 who had Major Depression Disorder participated, and as part of the study had also agreed to provide blood samples.
In this study, researchers examined four biomarkers − brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and inflammatory cytokines called tumor necrosis factor alpha, and two interleukins, IL-1β and IL-6, from blood samples collected before and after the 12-week exercise intervention.
Researchers found that reductions in two biomarkers, BDNF and IL-1β, are related to reductions in hypersomnia. "Identification of biomarkers that uniquely predict or correlate with improvements in hypersomnia and insomnia is an important step toward more effective treatment of MDD," said lead author Dr. Chad Rethorst, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry with the Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care.
Previous analysis of the TREAD data demonstrated significant reductions in insomnia symptoms with exercise, but the two biomarkers identified above did not correlate to changes in insomnia, Dr. Rethorst said. They did find, however, that lower baseline levels of IL-1β were predictive of greater improvements in insomnia. The findings suggest distinct mechanisms are involved in insomnia versus hypersomnia, and that further research will be needed to identify the appropriate biomarkers for insomnia.
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150811160431.htm
Cardiorespiratory fitness linked to thinner gray matter and better math skills in kids
August 12, 2015
Science Daily/University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
A new study reveals that 9- and 10-year-old children who are aerobically fit tend to have significantly thinner gray matter and do better on math tests than their 'lower-fit' peers.
The study suggests, but does not prove, that cardiorespiratory fitness contributes to gray matter thinning -- a normal process of child brain development. The study also offers the first evidence that fitness enhances math skills by aiding the development of brain structures that contribute to mathematics achievement.
"Gray-matter loss during child development is part of healthy maturation," said University of Illinois postdoctoral researcher Laura Chaddock-Heyman, who led the research with U. of I. Beckman Institute for Science and Technology director Art Kramer and kinesiology and community health professor Charles Hillman. "Gray-matter thinning is the sculpting of a fully formed, healthy brain. The theory is that the brain is pruning away unnecessary connections and strengthening useful connections."
Previous studies have shown that gray-matter thinning is associated with better reasoning and thinking skills, Chaddock-Heyman said.
"We show, for the first time, that aerobic fitness may play a role in this cortical thinning," she said. "In particular, we find that higher-fit 9- and 10-year-olds show a decrease in gray-matter thickness in some areas known to change with development, specifically in the frontal, temporal and occipital lobes of the brain."
The analysis included 48 children, all of whom had completed a maximal oxygen-uptake fitness test on a treadmill. Half of the children (the higher-fit kids) were at or above the 70th percentile for aerobic fitness, and half (the lower-fit kids) were at or below the 30th percentile. The researchers imaged the children's brains using MRI, and tested their math, reading and spelling skills using the Wide Range Achievement Test-3, which correlates closely with academic achievement in these fields.
The team found differences in math skills and cortical brain structure between the higher-fit and lower-fit children. In particular, thinner gray matter corresponded to better math performance in the higher-fit kids. No significant fitness-associated differences in reading or spelling aptitude were detected.
"These findings arrive at an important time. Physical activity opportunities during the school day are being reduced or eliminated in response to mandates for increased academic time," Hillman said. "Given that rates of physical inactivity are rising, there is an increased need to promote physical activity. Schools are the best institutions to implement such health behavior practices, due to the number of children they reach on a daily basis."
"An important next step in this research is to establish a causal relationship between brain changes, changes in physical fitness and changes in cognition and school achievement -- something we are currently doing with a longitudinal study of children participating in a physical activity training program," Kramer said.
The National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health supported this research. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture at the U.S. Department of Agriculture also provided funding.
Science Daily/SOURCE :http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150812151229.htm