How Exercise Changes Your Brain and Your Mood

February 1, 2021September 1, 2022 MariaC BDNF, bipolar, dementia, Depression, schizophrenia

It also sharpens your memory. Keep moving

You exercise to keep your muscles strong and your stamina high, along with your buff ratings. Perhaps you also exercise for your cardiovascular fitness. Now here’s further motivatio to move that body: exercise changes your brain chemistry to promote better mood and memory.

Exercise works, and not just because of the buzz you get from having gone out and done something. Yes, exercise triggers the release of endorphins, chemicals that create a sense of euphoria. But there is much more to it than that.

Beyond the runner’s high lies a biochemical process that is part of the brain’s growth and repair system. Central to that process is a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF protects existing brain cells from damage. It strengthens the synapses (a synapse is the structure between nerves, through which messages are transmitted), and helps form new synapses. BDNF is also involved in a process called neurogenesis, the creation of new brain cells.

Think of BDNF as a benevolent force that nurtures and cares for its charges, the neurons in your brain. It does so at every life stage, including old age.

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