Along with a slew of other physical impacts that running a marathon can have on the human body, a new study reveals that your body may also start eating your brain while running the 26.2-mile race.
While this sounds terrifying, the effects the marathon has on the brain are reversible and it typically returns to normal levels in about two months. From this study, researchers are hoping to understand how the brain is able to repair itself so quickly and perhaps use this as a way to treat other disorders, such as multiple sclerosis (MS).
How the Brain Uses Myelin
The human brain contains myelin, a fatty substance that protects neurons. Myelin acts as an insulator that helps pass the brain’s electrical pulses between neurons safely and efficiently. Myeline can also be a source of energy during extreme metabolic conditions, according to a new study published inNature Metabolism.
When running a marathon, as with any type of long-form exercise, the body typically relies on its energy stores. This usually comes in the form of carbohydrates, such as glycogen in the muscles. However, when the carbohydrates are all burned up, the body starts to rely on fat stores, including, according to the study, the fatty myelin in the brain.
The study authors, from the UPV/EHU, CIC biomaGUNE, and IIS Biobizkaia, found that marathon runners had a decrease in myelin in certain brain regions after running the full race. However, their myelin levels were back to normal after two months.
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Does the Brain Eat Itself?
Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the research team looked at images of the runner’s brains 48 hours before the race, two weeks after the race, then finally two months after the race.
Through the images, the team analyzed the myelin water in the runners’ brains — which can be an indirect indicator of myelin in the brain — and saw “a reduction in the myelin content in 12 areas of white matter in the brain, which are related to motor coordination and sensory and emotional integration,”Carlos Matute, professor of Anatomy and Human Embriology at the UPV/EHU and a researcher at IIS Biobizkaia, said in apress release.
The results of the two-week scan revealed that “the myelin concentrations had increased substantially, but had not yet reached pre-race levels,”Pedro Ramos-Cabrer, Ikerbasque Research professor at CIC biomaGUNE, said in a press release.
After the two-month scan, the team indicated that the myelin was once again at pre-race levels.
Helping Those with Multiple Sclerosis
While it might seem shocking that your body would consume a valuable protectant in the brain, the remarkable find is how quickly myelin can recover from this. With this discovery, the research team is hopeful they could find better treatment options for those who have demyelinating diseases, like MS.
“Understanding how the myelin in the runners recovers quickly may provide clues for developing treatments for demyelinating diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, in which the disappearance of myelin and, therefore, of its energy contribution, facilitates structural damage and degeneration,” Matute said in a press release.
The study authors also note that their findings don’t mean one should give up running marathons, as exercise has numerous benefits for the body. However, those with demyelinating disease may want to avoid them as they could do more harm than good.
This article is not offering medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.
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A graduate of UW-Whitewater, Monica Cull wrote for several organizations, including one that focused on bees and the natural world, before coming to Discover Magazine. Her current work also appears on her travel blog and Common State Magazine. Her love of science came from watching PBS shows as a kid with her mom and spending too much time binging Doctor Who.