The Stress Of Running Alone, Running In Groups Better For The Brain
March 16, 2006
Many people struggle to maintain a regular exercise schedule
on their own, but do better when they exercise with friends. In rats, exercising
in groups is better for the brain as well, reports a study in the April issue of
Nature Neuroscience.
Elizabeth Gould and colleagues study the effects of running on the generation of
new neurons (neurogenesis) in the brains of adult rats housed in groups and in
isolation. The authors report that running increases neurogenesis only when rats
were housed in groups. However, in rats that run in social isolation,
neurogenesis is suppressed.
Running caused similar elevations of the stress hormone corticosterone in
isolated or group-housed rats, but only animals that ran alone were vulnerable
to the negative influence of corticosterone on neurogenesis.
Moreover, individually housed runners showed higher levels of corticosterone in
response to additional stress when compared to group-housed runners. Preventing
the elevation in corticosterone levels in individually housed runners stimulated
neurogenesis.
These results suggest that without social interaction, a normally beneficial
experience can have negative effects on the brain.
Author:
Elizabeth Gould (Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA)
NATURE NEUROSCIENCE
www.nature.com/natureneuroscience
DOI: 10.1038/nn1668
NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP REFERENCE
The Macmillan Building
4 Crinan Street
London
N1 9XW
UK
www.nature.com