TY - JOUR
T1 - About exercise recommendations to relax your brain
AU - Abeln, Vera
AU - Klein, Timo
AU - Peter-Krull, Julia
AU - Schneider, Stefan
N1 - ACSM's 63rd Annual Meeting 7th World Congress on Exercise is Medicine and World Congress on the Basic Science of Energy Balance, May 31 - June 04, 2016 Boston, Massachusetts
PY - 2016/5/31
Y1 - 2016/5/31
N2 - In todays popula&on stress and psychological diseases are on the rise. To support mental health, exercises should be
recommended which reduce electrocor&cal arousal especially within the prefrontal cortex (execu&ve func&ons). Because a
decrease of prefrontal brain cor&cal ac&vity was revealed following running exercise in runners but not bicycling, armcranking
or isometric strength exercise (Brümmer et al. 2011), it was hypothesized that exercise preference, adapta&on or
running characteris&cs might play a role for the post-exercise effect on brain cor&cal ac&vity.
PURPOSE: The present study aimed to check the preference/adapta&on hypothesis by tes&ng a group of triathletes, who
are adapted to both running and bicycling, but who prefer one of the two exercises. A group of hockey players running but
during a compe&&ve match will confine the effect of running characteris&cs.
METHODS: 10 professional triathletes were asked to perform two modes of triathlon (bicycling and running), each at their
individual self-chosen intensity under field condi&ons (STUDY TRIATHLETES). 24 professional hockey players (n=12 ac&ve,
n=12 passive) were tested during a compe&&ve match (STUDY HOCKEY). Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded
under rest condi&ons before (PRE) and ader (POST) exercise. Low-resolu&on brain electromagne&c tomography (LORETA)
was applied to localize current density (μV2/mm4) of the frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal lobe.
RESULTS: In triathletes, brain cor&cal ac&vity decreased following running exercise within the frontal (p< .001) lobe. No
differences were found for bicycling exercise. Comparing the trials of the preferred with non-preferred mode revealed no
difference for all regions of interest (frontal p= .943, occipital p= .438, parietal p= .987, temporal p= .664). In hockey
players, no significant differences between PRE and POST brain cor&cal ac&vity and between ac&ve and passive players
were found.
CONCLUSION: The triathlete study supports that the effect of exercise on brain cor&cal ac&vity is not dependent on
adapta&on but running itself. The exercise preference hypothesis could not be confirmed. The hockey data suggests that
steady rather than interval running is making the difference. Steady running should be recommended to support mental
health. Further studies are required for verifica&on.
AB - In todays popula&on stress and psychological diseases are on the rise. To support mental health, exercises should be
recommended which reduce electrocor&cal arousal especially within the prefrontal cortex (execu&ve func&ons). Because a
decrease of prefrontal brain cor&cal ac&vity was revealed following running exercise in runners but not bicycling, armcranking
or isometric strength exercise (Brümmer et al. 2011), it was hypothesized that exercise preference, adapta&on or
running characteris&cs might play a role for the post-exercise effect on brain cor&cal ac&vity.
PURPOSE: The present study aimed to check the preference/adapta&on hypothesis by tes&ng a group of triathletes, who
are adapted to both running and bicycling, but who prefer one of the two exercises. A group of hockey players running but
during a compe&&ve match will confine the effect of running characteris&cs.
METHODS: 10 professional triathletes were asked to perform two modes of triathlon (bicycling and running), each at their
individual self-chosen intensity under field condi&ons (STUDY TRIATHLETES). 24 professional hockey players (n=12 ac&ve,
n=12 passive) were tested during a compe&&ve match (STUDY HOCKEY). Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded
under rest condi&ons before (PRE) and ader (POST) exercise. Low-resolu&on brain electromagne&c tomography (LORETA)
was applied to localize current density (μV2/mm4) of the frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal lobe.
RESULTS: In triathletes, brain cor&cal ac&vity decreased following running exercise within the frontal (p< .001) lobe. No
differences were found for bicycling exercise. Comparing the trials of the preferred with non-preferred mode revealed no
difference for all regions of interest (frontal p= .943, occipital p= .438, parietal p= .987, temporal p= .664). In hockey
players, no significant differences between PRE and POST brain cor&cal ac&vity and between ac&ve and passive players
were found.
CONCLUSION: The triathlete study supports that the effect of exercise on brain cor&cal ac&vity is not dependent on
adapta&on but running itself. The exercise preference hypothesis could not be confirmed. The hockey data suggests that
steady rather than interval running is making the difference. Steady running should be recommended to support mental
health. Further studies are required for verifica&on.
M3 - Conference abstract in journal
SN - 0195-9131
VL - 48
SP - 607
JO - Medicine and science in sports and exercise
JF - Medicine and science in sports and exercise
IS - Supplement 1-5
M1 - 2150
ER -