EXERCISES THAT DIRECTLY IMPROVE BRAIN HEALTH & FUNCTION • - Exercise improves brain health and function through both direct and through indirect mechanisms. Indirect mechanisms include the positive effects of exercise on sleep, blood flow, etc. - Direct mechanisms include elevated levels of catecholamine- based-arousal (meaning, elevated dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine leading to more alertness), increased brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), lactate, IGF1, and osteocalcin- a hormone released from your bones (yes you read right) when your bones undergo repetitive loadbearing exercise, hence the jumping/controlled landing protocol. - During this week’s episode of the Huberman Lab podcast out now I discuss specific, simple, and non-time consuming additions to your existing exercise routine that activate the direct effects of exercise on brain health and performance. I also review how embracing a form of exercise that you really *dislike* can be immensely beneficial for cognitive function, and is strongly correlated with the phenomenon known as “super-aging”, or the ability to offset age related cognitive decline (that correlates with size and activation of aMCC (see episode time-stamp)). If you do this it’s important to select something that is not going to damage you physically or psychologically. - Aside from sleep, there is no more powerful way to impact brain health than exercise. (And avoiding TBI etc.) - During the episode, I get into the mechanisms as well as the specific protocols you may choose to adopt, and/or modify to suit your needs and goals. - To access the episode in all formats go to hubermanlab.com - It is time stamped in detail so you can navigate quickly to the topics and protocols (labeled “tool”) most of interest to you. - Meanwhile, if you have any questions about the topics in this episode or suggestions of other guests or topics you’d like me to cover on the Huberman Lab podcast, please put those in the comment section below this post. And as always, thank you for your interest in science! - @hubermanlab @stanford.med @stanford - #neuroscience #science #ciencia #neurociencia #exercise #brain #health #mechanisms #protocols