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Runners’ brains may be more connected, research shows

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Re: Runners’ brains may be more connected, research shows

#71

Post by zw123456 »

timbowhite wrote: post #65
zw123456 wrote: post #59

I have been a runner for just about my whole life (ran track in HS) is started listening to music when the small mp3 players first came out and I noticed that it seemed to interfere with my "runners high" a little bit. I know this is tied to beta endorphins but I also think there is a Zen like aspect. So I stopped using the player and instead just let my mind run free too. My theory is that running can also unlock a…

> I notice how much more clearly I can think after. If the run is more strenuous, do you still see the same effect? For me, a 3 miler at a relaxed pace definitely helps me be more focused afterwards. But if I'm going full tilt up and down hills, or running longer distances, I find myself mentally exhausted afterwards. My theory is that this is due to my mind constantly battling itself on these kind of runs ("THIS HUR…

Good point, if I push myself too far then I end up focusing too much on the push. But on the other hand if I don't push at least part of the time, the end feeling is not as rewarding.

Re: Runners’ brains may be more connected, research shows

#72

Post by rokosbasilisk »

I would like to see this study replicated as the sample size of 22 seems low, and I have a strong suspicion nutrition plays a very large role as covariate here.

Just not sure how generalizable this is. Ive been doing some data analysis internship for a similar study but more brain vs circadian cycles. The human data is often messy and does not replicate.

The clonal mouse studies data is often more consistent, and what Im building an in silico model for.

Re: Runners’ brains may be more connected, research shows

#73

Post by imesh »

Houshalter wrote: post #57

There was an interesting study that looked at Facebook likes and personality types of a large number of people. They found the pages/interests that were the most heavily correlated with each of the major personality dimensions. It's really interesting and you can see the whole chart twoard the bottom of this article: http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/this-algorithm-knows-you-... Emotional stability was highly correl…

For what it's worth exercise is needed for me to feel mentally stable.

Re: Runners’ brains may be more connected, research shows

#74

Post by cylinder »

timbowhite wrote: post #65
zw123456 wrote: post #59

I have been a runner for just about my whole life (ran track in HS) is started listening to music when the small mp3 players first came out and I noticed that it seemed to interfere with my "runners high" a little bit. I know this is tied to beta endorphins but I also think there is a Zen like aspect. So I stopped using the player and instead just let my mind run free too. My theory is that running can also unlock a…

> I notice how much more clearly I can think after. If the run is more strenuous, do you still see the same effect? For me, a 3 miler at a relaxed pace definitely helps me be more focused afterwards. But if I'm going full tilt up and down hills, or running longer distances, I find myself mentally exhausted afterwards. My theory is that this is due to my mind constantly battling itself on these kind of runs ("THIS HUR…

Same thing with weightlifting. There's a fine line between a workout that makes me feel amazing and one that leaves me totally depleted. Nutrition also has an impact (before and after).

Re: Runners’ brains may be more connected, research shows

#75

Post by JustSomeNobody »

Swizec wrote: post #42
JustSomeNobody wrote: post #39

Here's a question. I have no desire to learn an instrument, so is it still possible to learn enough music theory to reap the mental benefits? As far as running goes, my knees don't allow for it.

> my knees don't allow for it Start slow, buy shoes appropriate for your gait, work on technique. I have bad knees running in the family, had tendon injuries in both of them as a kid too. Used to get a lot of pain when running then I decided to focus on my technique, taking it slow (like, 2 mile runs at 10min/mile cause running longer or faster felt like the death) Now 3 years later I run a 4hr marathon and the only…

Thanks.

My right knee does need to have a professional look at it; I've just been putting that off. Same professional tells me I need more exercise (I eat healthy so that helps me not be _too_ bad, though). I see there's some avoidance there now that I'm typing all this. :)

Re: Runners’ brains may be more connected, research shows

#76

Post by oryak »

This doesn't sound like a good study to me because of the two groups they are comparing. Even in the original article (which I only had a brief look at), it seems they didn't do a really fair comparison but compared two completely different groups with each other.

With the same study, they could also have said "people with more brain connections feel a stronger urge to run long distances".

A better study would have been to take a group of lazy people, divide them into two groups, one will do long distance running in the next year, one won't, and an additional group of current runners divided into the same groups. Then I would start believing this.

Right now it sounds just like a flawed first-time study an undergrad did.

Re: Runners’ brains may be more connected, research shows

#77

Post by is_this_valid »

ipnon wrote: post #67
edblarney wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I notice how much more clearly I can think after." Yes me to. I'm quite past 30 and on most days I feel a little crap. After a run, I feel 20-something in terms of energy, motivation and attitude. I think it's a combination of the endorphins, and then the rebalancing of sugar levels. I feel as though my metabolism has been 'reset to something proper'. I think that light cardio is the closest thing to the fountain of…

>combination of endorphins The primary component of a runner's high is attributed to a category of neurotransmitters known as endocannabinoids. Endorphins become the primary component of a runner's high when the body becomes structurally damaged, like when marathon runners struggle to remain standing and lose the ability to concentrate (note the similarities to heroin consumption). The feelings of well-being and the…

> [endocannabinoids]

- Endocannabinoid_system#Role_in_hippocampal_neurogenesis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endocannabinoid_system#Role_in...

>> In the adult brain, the endocannabinoid system facilitates the neurogenesis of hippocampal granule cells.[37][38] In the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus, multipotent neural progenitors (NP) give rise to daughter cells that, over the course of several weeks, mature into granule cells whose axons project to and synapse onto dendrites on the CA3 region.[39] NPs in the hippocampus have been shown to possess fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and express CB1 and utilize 2-AG.[38] Intriguingly, CB1 activation by endogenous or exogenous cannabinoids promote NP proliferation and differentiation; this activation is absent in CB1 knockouts and abolished in the presence of antagonist.[37][38]

- "Cannabinoids promote embryonic and adult hippocampus neurogenesis and produce anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects" https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1253627/

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocampus

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurogenesis

Re: Runners’ brains may be more connected, research shows

#78

Post by FLUX-YOU »

zw123456 wrote: post #59

I have been a runner for just about my whole life (ran track in HS) is started listening to music when the small mp3 players first came out and I noticed that it seemed to interfere with my "runners high" a little bit. I know this is tied to beta endorphins but I also think there is a Zen like aspect. So I stopped using the player and instead just let my mind run free too. My theory is that running can also unlock a…

Music can also be a performance enhancer due to frisson in my experience. I can run for meditation or thrill and feeling. Usually I get better times with the latter and then alternate.

Re: Runners’ brains may be more connected, research shows

#79

Post by criddell »

agumonkey wrote: post #47
criddell wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How old were you when you learned music? I've been trying to learn to play guitar on and off for 25 years now. It's a huge struggle for me. For a while I'll practice daily, make very little progress, get frustrated and bored, then quit. A year later I start over and no progress is ever made. I've had different teachers and different instruments (I love the gear part of it) and I know what's really needed is grit. I d…

I had piano lessons for a year at 14. Stopped (learned nothing except 2 or 3 children melodies, and few ideas that I forgot in a week). Then started again around 19, drumsticks and bass. As I said I was almost dead wrong for 6 years. With mostly regressions. All instruments are different though. Guitars require quite a large amount of time to adapt your left hand (neck). It's easy to never make progress there. Bass g…

I do have a metronome and I when I use it, I pretty reliably rage quit about 4 minutes later.

One thing that I think music teachers would probably frown on is that I picked up Rocksmith and made more progress with that than practicing chord changes, scales, and Hal Leonard songs. The score for being on time on the right note with the software always adding a few more notes than I can play works really well for me.

Plus I can play it with my daughter.

Re: Runners’ brains may be more connected, research shows

#80

Post by maroonblazer »

zw123456 wrote: post #59

I have been a runner for just about my whole life (ran track in HS) is started listening to music when the small mp3 players first came out and I noticed that it seemed to interfere with my "runners high" a little bit. I know this is tied to beta endorphins but I also think there is a Zen like aspect. So I stopped using the player and instead just let my mind run free too. My theory is that running can also unlock a…

I had the exact same experience. Listening to music or podcasts - even ones I was deeply interested in - diminished the feeling I got while running and the post-run high. It's also why I don't like running with other people. Even if they don't want to talk I'm distracted by their presence, making sure our pace is similar, etc.
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