from Journal of Neuroscience
Why does running benefit our brains? Part of the answer is not new—that regular running raises levels of the hormone dopamine in the brain. However, researchers led by a team at New York University Grossman School of Medicine, using previous knowledge of dopamine, found laboratory animals that ran at will on a treadmill had levels of dopamine that lasted long after the running stopped. The study, appearing in the Journal of Neuroscience, provides better understanding of why exercise alleviates symptoms in conditions that include depression and even Parkinson’s disease. These are preliminary laboratory results and more research is needed before human testing is begun.