We often thought of muscles as being independent of our intellectual abilities. Or they even thought that muscles oppose intelligence and deprive them of resources. However, in reality, our brains and muscles constantly communicate with each other and send and receive electrochemical signals. Practically all of our Brain health depends on keeping your muscles moving.
Skeletal muscle is the muscle used to move our body and is the largest organ in the human body. Skeletal muscle is also an endocrine tissue. In other words, skeletal muscle sends out ‘signaling molecules’ that go to other parts of the body and transmit commands. Protein molecules that are secreted from skeletal muscle and transmit messages to other tissues, including the brain, are called ‘myokines’.
Myokines are released into the bloodstream during metabolic activities such as muscle contraction or the creation of new cells. When myokines reach the brain, they also control physiological and metabolic reactions. Thus, myokines have the ability to influence cognition, mood, and emotional behavior. Exercise stimulates an interaction that scientists call ‘cross talk’ between the brain and muscles, and myokine messengers help determine which beneficial responses in the brain. Such responses include the formation of new neurons and increased synaptic plasticity that promote learning and memory.
Therefore, strong muscles are essential to keep brain function healthy.
in young muscles Even a small amount of exercise triggers a molecular process that directs muscle growth. After being damaged by strain and pressure, muscle fibers fuse together and repair themselves as they grow in size and mass. Muscles grow stronger as they regenerate, rejuvenate, regrow, and survive each such small problem. Then as we age, the signals transmitted by exercise become much weaker. As a result, the older you get, the more difficult it is to gain and maintain muscle mass. But it’s not impossible. It is possible to increase muscle mass even as you age, and managing your muscles is very important for supporting your brain.
not high intensity exercise Moderate exercise can boost metabolism in brain regions important for learning and memory in older adults. Moreover, the brain itself has been found to respond to exercise in a very bodily way. As we age, the hippocampus, a brain structure that plays an important role in learning and memory, contracts. This can increase your risk of dementia. But Exercise training has been shown to prevent age-related loss and improve spatial memory while increasing the size of the hippocampus even in old age.
Not only this Strong evidence that certain myokines appear to have gender-dependent neuroprotective propertiesthere is also For example, the myokine irisin is affected by estrogen levels, and postmenopausal women are much more susceptible to neurological disorders. This shows that irisin plays an important role in protecting neurons from aging-related bodily decline.
According to research Even people who already have brain disease or damage Improvements in physical activity and motor skills have been shown to improve cognitive abilities. People with age-related sarcopenia are more likely to experience cognitive decline. A growing body of evidence shows that loss of skeletal muscle mass and function makes the brain more susceptible to dysfunction and disease. Therefore, exercise can improve memory, processing speed, and executive function, especially among older people. (Exercise also improves cognitive abilities in children.)
There is an active molecular language between the muscles and the brain. Exercise helps us become fluent in this language. even in old age. (By Bonnie Tsui)