Running rewires the brain to better handle stress: study

Regular running reorganizes the brain in a way that makes it more adept at dealing with stressful situations, a new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience has found.

The Princeton University researchers discovered that mice given access to regular exercise on treadmills for six weeks were better able to handle the stress of a sudden splash of cold water because of a large increase in the number of new neurons in the ventral hippocampus – the part of the brain that controls anxiety.

Previous research had shown that exercise promotes the growth of these new neurons in the hippocampus, which tend to be more excitable and could theoretically cause more anxiety. But these new findings showed that a regular running regimen also strengthens the mechanisms that block these excitable brain cells from firing, the Princeton researchers said.

Senior author Elizabeth Gould added that the study shows that the brain is extremely adaptive to lifestyle and surroundings. Being more prone to anxiety may have an evolutionary advantage among organisms that aren’t physically fit enough to respond with a “fight or flight” mechanism.

“Understanding how the brain regulates anxious behavior gives us potential clues about helping people with anxiety disorders. It also tells us something about how the brain modifies itself to respond optimally to its own environment,” Gould said.