How moving a little or exercising changes brain activity and stress chemicals
Acute effects of physical activity patterns on plasma cortisol and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in relation to corticospinal excitability.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists wanted to see how different ways of sitting or moving affect brain activity and stress chemicals in adults who don’t exercise much. They tested three routines: just sitting, sitting with short walks every 30 minutes, and sitting followed by a 25-minute walk. Then they gave a small brain...
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
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Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists wanted to see how different ways of sitting or moving affect brain activity and stress chemicals in adults who don’t exercise much. They tested three routines: just sitting, sitting with short walks every 30 minutes, and sitting followed by a 25-minute walk. Then they gave a small brain...
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 533 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Publication
Authors
Ekblom MM, Bojsen-Møller E, Blom V, Tarassova O, Moberg M, Pontén M, Wang R, Ekblom O
Related Content
Claims (4)
Exercise can change how your body handles stress by rewiring the system that controls cortisol, the stress hormone.
If you're a middle-aged adult who doesn't move much, your stress hormone levels go up more after sitting all day and then doing a 25-minute workout, compared to just sitting or breaking up your sitting time with short walks every half hour.
If you're a middle-aged person who doesn't move much, your body's stress hormone levels might help your brain become more responsive when you take regular movement breaks—but not if you just sit all day or go for one workout.
In middle-aged people who aren't very active, the level of a brain protein called BDNF in their blood doesn't tell us whether their brain's ability to control muscles will change — no matter if they sit all day, take regular movement breaks, or do some exercise afterward.