Marathonists have lost mind – literally, study finds

Marathonists know that it is mental sport – but it turns out that their brains may be more than helping them to empower through pain.

A new study found that during extreme endurance efforts such as running a 26.2 mile race, the brain can temporarily disrupt its own isolation to use as a source of emergency power.

In plain English? Begins to eat on its own.

Urgent fuel

Myelin is a fatty substance that wraps around the nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord, much like insulation around an electrical wire. It speeds up and increases the transmission of the nervous signal, making it vital to everything, from motor coordination to sensory processing.

During a marathon, runners mainly rely on carbohydrates – divided into glucose – as their main source of energy. But after those stores are dry, the body turns into fat reserves, including, as the study suggests, myelin in the brain.

Marathon brains make a hit but recover quickly

In the study, a team of researchers in Spain recruited 10 male and two female-high runners-and performed MRI scans in their brains before and after a 42.2-kilometer race.

The results were wonderful: all the runners showed a decrease in myelin levels, especially in the brain regions responsible for motor coordination, sensory integration and emotional processing.

But don’t throw those sneakers yet. The study also found that the marathon myeline began to jump shortly after the race and was again at normal levels within two months, indicating that the decline is both temporary and reversible.

â € œyelin seems to act as a source of energy when other brain nutrients are depleted while exercising sustainability, said Dr. Pedro Ramos-Cabrer, research professor Ikerbasque in Cic Biomagune, a non-profit research organization in Spain.

The research needed to determine how extreme exercise is about the amount of myelin in the brain. Tests in a larger group are needed, ”he added.

The authors also noticed that the study did not estimate whether myelin loss affected the cognitive functions of runners or physical abilities, so more research is needed in that area as well.

Breaking the new land

The study raises new questions about the role of myelin in the brain, not only in healthy individuals but also in those affected by aging or illness.

â € € œstandinging how myelin in the runner is quickly recovered can provide data on the development of treatments for demyelin diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, â € said Dr. Carlos Matute, professor of human anatomy and embryology at the University of the Basque country .â

In diseases like MS, permanent loss of myelin – and the energy it provides – leads to severe brain damage and degeneration.

Myelin damage is also a major factor in amiotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). While regular, moderate intensity physical activity is essential for maintaining lifelong brain health, research suggests that strong exercise can be a risk factor for the disease.

The study authors noted that regular sustainability training can pose an additional risk to individuals with a genetic predisposition to ALS because of its potential to degrade myelin. However, they stressed that there is no immediate cause for concern and that further research is needed.