Researcher training of the legs is also healthy for the brain

Can trained legs have positive effects on the brain?

The regular movement of the legs, especially during weight-bearing, is necessary for the production of healthy nerve cells, which are essential for the brain and the nervous system. In other words, if your legs get enough exercise, your brain will benefit.

Scientists at the Universita degli Studi di Milano in Italy found in their recent study that the neurological health is highly dependent on the signals sent from the large leg muscles of the body to the brain and from the brain to the muscles in the legs. The physicians published the results of their study in the English-language journal "Frontiers in Neuroscience".

Regular exercise is not only important for a healthy heart, our brain and even our genes are affected by our daily movement. (Image: ARochau / fotolia.com)

Restricted movement also affects the brain

The study provides new clues as to why many patients break down with motor neuron disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal muscular atrophy and other neurological disorders quickly cognitive performance when their movement is restricted, explain the experts.

Does not move to changes at the cellular level?

The results of the study support the idea that people who do not experience any physical stress, such as bedridden patients or astronauts lose on long trips, not only in muscle mass, also have changes in their body chemistry at the cellular level but and even their nervous system is affected, explains Study author Raffaella Adami from the Università degli Studi di Milano.

Mice were allowed to use only the front legs in the experiment

In the study, mice were forced to use only their forelegs for a period of 28 days. The mice continued to eat and maintain normal signs of stress, the researchers say. At the end of the experiment, researchers looked at a part of the brain called the subventricular zone, which has the task of maintaining the health of nerve cells in many mammals. This is also the area where neural stem cells produce new neurons, explain the authors.

Little movement resulted in reduction of stem cells

Limiting physical activity reduced the number of neural stem cells by 70 percent, compared to a control group of mice that were allowed to move freely. Both neurons and so-called oligodendrocytes, specialized cells that support and isolate nerve cells, do not fully mature when the training and movement of the legs is severely restricted, the researchers report.

Without leg training, it is difficult for the body to produce nerve cells

The results of the study show that the use of the legs, especially during exercise, sends signals to the brain that stimulate the production of healthy nerve cells. These neurons are essential for the brain and nervous system, the researchers emphasize. Limiting the training of the legs makes it difficult for the body to produce new nerve cells. But we need these nerve cells to deal better with stress.

Reduced movement even affects the genes

Neurological health is not a one-way street where only the brain works on the muscles, Adami explains. Restricted movement of the legs reduces the amount of oxygen in the body. This changes the metabolism and creates a so-called anaerobic environment. The reduction of movement also seems to affect two genes. One of these genes is called CDK5Rap1. This gene is very important for the health of the so-called mitochondria, the cellular power plants that release energy that the body can then use. (As)