“The real reason exercise makes you stronger isn’t what you think” [Science Daily].
During experiments, [Nicholas Betley of the University of Pennsylvania] and his team observed increased brain activity in mice after treadmill running. The strongest changes appeared in nerve cells within a region called the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH), which helps regulate how the body manages energy, body weight, and blood sugar.
The researchers tracked activity in a specific set of VMH nerve cells known as steroidogenic factor-1 (SF1) neurons. These neurons became active while the mice were running and continued firing for at least an hour after exercise ended.
After two weeks of daily treadmill sessions, the mice showed clear endurance improvements. They could run longer distances and maintain faster speeds before reaching exhaustion. Brain scans also revealed that a greater number of SF1 neurons became active after training, and their activity levels were much higher than they had been at the start of the study.
The scientists then tested what would happen if they blocked the SF1 neurons from communicating with the rest of the brain. Mice with blocked neuron activity became fatigued much sooner and failed to gain endurance during the two-week training period.
I hate exercise, I hate “the gym,” I hated gym class, I hate muscle-building, I hate muscle shirts, especially when combined with medals caught in chest hair, I hate it all. Too much display, too much addiction. And above all, the time taken. Nevertheless, I must at least stretch regularly to get my back into shape (ugh), pain-free again. So I like the idea that there are systemic advantages, unseen benefits beyond “strengthening my core” or whatever. I’m reminded that I can look beyond my abs, such as they are. Everything is deeply intertwingled!
Then again, with animal studies, “monkeys exaggerate, and mice lie.” Where’s that salt, dammit.