Bizarre brain "shrink" seen in long-distance runners

Binary_Bark

Forging
Joined
Feb 24, 2016
Messages
39,376
Reaction score
20,750
Location
Midgard
More than a million people of nearly all ages lace up their trainers and hit the pavement in a marathon every year. And while running any distance has numerous health benefits, researchers warn that going the distance may not be so good for the brain – with the negative effects lingering for a month following a race.

Scientists at Spain's University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) have identified a link between marathon running and a sharp reduction in the protective myelin that surrounds nerve fibers – axons – in the brain. This insulating layer is critical for facilitating the transmission of electrical signals in the brain and spinal cord – and a loss of myelin is one biomarker of many neurological conditions, including stroke and multiple sclerosis.

 
This sounds like a typical observational study, so that word "link" is doing a lot of work. They're probably not making any causal claim, or if they are, they probably shouldn't be.
 
Nothing IMO ages a person faster than long-distance running. All of them look 15+ years older than they really are.

Brain shrinking is new to me, though.
Since I started running a few year ago I've actually started to look younger.
That "runners face" you're referring to is more to do with sun exposure and eccentuated wrinkles due to being lean rather than the metabolic effects of running.

I forgot what else I was going to say.
 
This sounds like a typical observational study, so that word "link" is doing a lot of work. They're probably not making any causal claim, or if they are, they probably shouldn't be.
From the article...

And more work is needed – as this study only looked at the brain scans of 10 runners (eight male), aged 45–73 years – and it offers an association, but not causation.

"This pilot observational imaging study has limitations, including a relatively small number of participants that will require validation in a larger cohort...
 
Cyclists must be in the same boat but with even very short distances.
 
The human body was not designed to run 42km. Anyway, it says you return to normal after 2 months.

"But there's some good news – further scans showed that myelin had naturally increased two weeks after the run, and then had returned to normal levels after two months."
 
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter