Research Hit: How Your Muscles Promote Brain Growth
New research shows that signalling molecules from exercising muscle promotes dramatic growth in nerve cells
You’ve spoken many times about the positive benefits of exercise on the brain is this more of the same?
Yes, and no. Actually it’s much more impressive because it looks at precisely how your muscles communicate with your nerve cells and how this stimulates growth. This reverses some standard assumptions of bodily function.
Ahh, fascinating, tell me more!
Angel Bu et al. of MIT conducted various lab experiments with cellular material. What they found is that when muscle cells contract during exercise they release a mix of signalling molecules known as myokines. And here is the amazing part: neurons exposed to myokines grow up to four times longer!
Wow, my neurons can be four-times longer?!
Well, not quite this is cellular based research, but, nevertheless, very intriguing.
But there is more: they also noticed that when neurons are given a physical stimulus similar to a muscle contracting i.e. stretched and contracted, they also boost their growth to similar levels as seen with the presence of myokines.
But you can’t physically train your neurons like that can you?
Not in your brain, but maybe the stimulus of exercise with its physical component, such as bouncing while running, create a physical stimulus that is also beneficial to neuron growth. However this research looked at nerve cells in the spinal cord and these are also attached to your muscles and therefore also move to a degree with your muscles.
Oh wow!
The outcomes are in even better, although “only” petri-dish based research. They analysed the growth of these neurons and found not only did they grow faster and longer but that they also showed more maturation, i.e. how well they communicate to muscles and other neurons.
All in very impressive.
I keep want to say “wow”, but how can this help us?
Well, let me also back track to research from the same group under Ritu Ramen showed in 2023 that stimulated this research. They noticed in 2023 that when using muscle grafts on damaged muscle tissue and stimulating this with light that it not only promoted growth of muscle but also of neurons. Reverse to what we assume i.e. nerve stimulus controls muscles not the reverse. But this is showing the reverse - it seems like it really is a loop, with muscles affecting neurons and nerve cell growth.
This knowledge will help with promoting mobility in those with nerve and neuromuscular damage but also in those with neurodegenerative disorders.
For us normal folk it is a reminder that exercise is one of the best things you can do for your brain and whole nervous system.
So, get exercising!
Yes, indeed.
Angel Bu, Ferdows Afghah, Nicolas Castro, Maheera Bawa, Sonika Kohli, Karina Shah, Brandon Rios, Vincent Butty, Ritu Raman.
Actuating Extracellular Matrices Decouple the Mechanical and Biochemical Effects of Muscle Contraction on Motor Neurons.
Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2024
DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202403712