Evidence from neuroimaging to explore brain plasticity in humans during an ultra-endurance burden

BMC Medicine

Kevin Mandrick²  Stéphane Perrey¹ 

[1] Movement to Health (M2H), Montpellier-1 University, EuroMov, 700 Avenue du Pic Saint Loup - 34090 Montpellier, France;Bodysens, 442 Rue Georges Besse, Immeuble Innovation 3 - 30035 Nîmes, France

关键词: running;    plasticity;    overload;    fatigue;    exercise behavior;    cerebral atrophy;   

Others  :  857246
DOI  :  10.1186/1741-7015-10-171

 received in 2012-11-28, accepted in 2012-12-21,  发布年份 2012

【 摘 要 】

Physical activity, likely through induction of neuroplasticity, is a promising intervention to promote brain health. In athletes it is clear that training can and does, by physiological adaptations, extend the frontiers of performance capacity. The limits of our endurance capacity lie deeply in the human brain, determined by various personal factors yet to be explored. The human brain, with its vast neural connections and its potential for seemingly endless behaviors, constitutes one of the final frontiers of medicine. In a recent study published in BMC Medicine, the TransEurope FootRace Project followed 10 ultra-endurance runners over around 4,500 km across Europe and recorded a large data collection of brain imaging scans. This study indicates that the cerebral atrophy amounting to a reduction of approximately 6% throughout the two months of the race is reversed upon follow-up. While this study will contribute to advances in the limits of human performance on the neurophysiological processes in sports scientists, it will also bring important understanding to clinicians about cerebral atrophy in people who are vulnerable to physical and psychological stress long term.

See related research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/10/170 webcite

【 授权许可】

   
2012 Perrey and Mandrick; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 参考文献 】

• [1]Cotman CW, Berchtold NC: Exercise: a behavioral intervention to enhance brain health and plasticity. Trends Neurosci 2002, 25:295-301.
• [2]Boecker H, Sprenger T, Spilker ME, Henriksen G, Koppenhoefer M, Wagner KJ, Valet M, Berthele A, Tolle TR: The runner's high: opioidergic mechanisms in the human brain. Cereb Cortex 2008, 18:2523-2531.
• [3]Freund W, Fauts S, Birklein F, Gaser C, Wunderlich AP, Müller M, Billich C, Juchems MS, Scmitz BL, Grön G, Schütz UHW: Substantial and reversible brain grey matter reduction but not acute brain lesions in ultra marathon runners. Experience from the TransEurope FootRace Project. BMC Med 2012.
• [4]Marcora SM, Staiano W: The limit to exercise tolerance in humans: mind over muscle? Eur J Appl Physiol 2010, 109:763-770.
• [5]Noakes TD: Fatigue is a brain-derived emotion that regulates the exercise behavior to ensure the protection of whole body homeostasis. Front Physiol 2012, 3:1-13.
• [6]McCloskey DP, Adamo DS, Anderson BJ: Exercise increases metabolic capacity in the motor cortex and striatum, but not in the hippocampus. Brain Res 2001, 891:168-175.
• [7]Vissing J, Andersen M, Diemer NH: Exercise-induced changes in local cerebral glucose utilization in the rat. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 1996, 16:729-736.
• [8]Ide K, Secher NH: Cerebral blood flow and metabolism during exercise. Prog Neurobiol 2000, 61:397-414.
• [9]Petersen SE, van Mier H, Fiez JA, Raichle ME: The effects of practice on the functional anatomy of task performance. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1998, 95:853-860.
• [10]Paulus MP, Potterat EG, Taylor MK, Van Orden KF, Bauman J, Momen N, Padilla GA, Swain JL: A neuroscience approach to optimizing brain resources for human performance in extreme environments. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2009, 33:1080-1088.
• [11]Secher NH, Seifert T, van Lieshout JJ: Cerebral blood flow and metabolism during exercise: implications for fatigue. J Appl Physiol 2008, 104:306-314.
• [12]Perrey S: Non-invasive NIR spectroscopy of human brain function during exercise. Methods 2008, 45:289-299.