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Something Strange Happens to Brains During a Marathon
When you run a marathon, your brain is hard at work, too – but not in the way you might expect. A new study published in NeuroImage has found that as athletes exhaust themselves during long-distance running events like marathons and triathlons, their brains undergo a peculiar transformation.
Researchers analyzed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from 15 healthy adults who participated in a marathon or triathlon event. The scans showed significant changes in brain activity patterns compared to when the individuals were at rest.
While the study didn’t investigate the specific effects of this phenomenon on cognitive function, it did reveal that certain regions of the brain – particularly those responsible for decision-making and problem-solving – became less active as the athletes entered a state of exhaustion. This decrease in neural activity is unprecedented, researchers note, as most studies have shown that these areas tend to increase their firing rates during physical activity.
“The findings suggest that, while it’s well-known that exercise affects brain function, there are also profound changes that occur when an individual pushes themselves to extreme levels of fatigue,” said Dr. [Author], the study’s lead researcher.
The team suggests that this unusual phenomenon may be related to the brain’s adaptation mechanisms in response to prolonged physical exhaustion. In other words, as we exhaust ourselves, our brains might be rewiring to prioritize basic survival functions over complex tasks.
This raises more questions than answers, such as: What does this mean for athletes? Can this information help us better understand cognitive impairments or mental health issues that may occur in response to prolonged physical exertion?
While the study’s authors caution that the findings require further investigation, it is clear that this new discovery opens a window into the complex relationships between exercise, brain function, and human performance.
In the meantime, I’m just grateful that my post-marathon Chinese food fest didn’t have to wait on the approval of my brain.
Source: https://gizmodo.com/something-strange-happens-to-brains-during-a-marathon-2000580554
