Terry Vine/Getty ImagesIt has long been a cliché that muscle bulk doesn’t equate to intelligence. In fact, most of the science to date about activity and brain health has focused on the role of endurance exercise in improving our brain functioning. Aerobic exercise causes a steep spike in blood movement to the brain, an action that some researchers have speculated might be necessary for the creation of new brain cells, or neurogenesis. Running and other forms of aerobic exercise have been shown, in mice and men, to lead to neurogenesis in those portions of the brain associated with memory and thinking, providing another compelling reason to get out at lunchtime and run.
Since weight training doesn’t cause the same spike, few researchers have thought that it would have a similar effect. But recent studies intimate otherwise. Several studies involve animals. It’s not easy, of course, to induce a mouse or a lab rat to lift weights, so the experimenters have to develop clever approximations of resistance training to see what impact adding muscle and strength has on an animal’s brain. In a study presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in November, researchers from Brazil secured weights to the tails of a group of rats and had them climb a ladder five sessions a week. Other rats on the same schedule ran on a treadmill, and a third group just sat around. After eight weeks, the running rats had much higher levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (B.D.N.F.), a growth factor that is thought to help spark neurogenesis, than the sedentary rats. So did the rats with weights tied to their tails. The weight-bearing rats, like the runners, did well on tests of rodent learning and memory, like rapidly negotiating a water maze. Both endurance and weight training seemed to make the rats smarter.
In somewhat similar fashion, researchers from Japan recently found that loading the running wheels of animals improved their brain functioning. A loaded running wheel is not strictly analogous to weight lifting; it’s more similar in human terms to a stationary bicycle with the resistance dialed high — in this case, quite high, as the resistance equaled 30 percent of the rats’ body weights in the last week of the monthlong study. By then, the rats on the loaded wheels could run barely half as far as a separate group of rats on unloaded wheels, but the rats on the loaded wheels had packed on muscle mass, unlike the other rats. The animals that were assigned to the loaded wheels showed significantly increased levels of gene activity and B.D.N.F. levels within their brains. The higher the workload the animals managed to complete, the greater the genetic activity within their brains.
This “study demonstrates for the first time that voluntary wheel running with a load increases a muscular adaptation and enhances gene expression” in the rat brain, said Min-Chul Lee, a researcher at the University of Tsukuba in Japan and lead author of the study, which was also presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. Even more striking, he added, his findings indicate that “this kind of exercise may have the identical or even more useful effects than endurance training (e.g., treadmill exercise) on the rat brain.”
Whether the same mechanisms occur in humans who undertake resistance training of one kind or another is not yet fully clear, but “the data look promising,” said Teresa Liu-Ambrose, a principal investigator at the Brain Research Center at the University of British Columbia. In results from her lab, older women who lifted weights performed significantly better on various tests of cognitive functioning than women who completed toning classes. Ms. Liu-Ambrose has also done brain scans of people who lifted weights to determine whether neurogenesis is occurring in their brains, and the results, still unpublished, are encouraging, she said.
Just how resistance training initiates changes in cognition remains somewhat mysterious. Ms. Liu-Ambrose said that “we now know that resistance training has significant benefits on cardiovascular health” and reduces “cardiovascular risk factors,” which otherwise would raise “one’s risk of cognitive impairment.” She speculates that resistance training, by strengthening the heart, improves blood flow to the brain generally, which is associated with better cognitive function. Perhaps almost as important, she added, resistance training at first requires an upsurge in brain usage. You have to think about “proper form and learning the technique,” she said, “while there generally is less learning involved in aerobic training,” like running.
The brain benefits from being used, so that, in a neat circle, resistance training may both demand and create additional brain circuitry. Imagine what someone like Einstein might have accomplished if he had occasionally gone to the gym.
This post has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: January 23, 2011
The Phys Ed column on Page 28 this weekend, about weight lifting and its effect on the way brain cells function, misstates, in one instance, the type of rodent used in a study on the subject. They were rats, not mice.
Healthy living doesn’t happen at the doctor’s office. The road to better health is paved with the small decisions we make every day. It’s about the choices we make when we buy groceries, drive our cars and hang out with our kids. Join columnist Tara Parker-Pope as she sifts through medical research and expert opinions for practical advice to help readers take control of their health and live well every day. 
From 1 to 25 of 103 Comments
I think too many girls don’t lift weights and men probably don’t do enough cardio. Everyone should do both to really get the best benefits of working out properly. Girls don’t be afraid to lift you will not get bulky, you simply can’t get huge without the right hormones. http://www.diet-myths.com explains it.
— KateThis is very encouraging. I love working out with weights at the gym much more than aerobic exercise so this is good news. This reminds me of an article I also read on here about how children who are weight training do not gain muscle yet they are able to lift heavier weights because IIRC there is improvement in their neurons. I wonder if the same mechanism is at work there as here ?
— LukeThe subject of this article is very interesting. However, I would not rely on the testing of abused rodents to determine the benefits of exercise for human brains.
What about the impact on the rat’s brain from having weights tied to the tail then having to run up a ladder; wouldn’t the pain and unnatural discomfort from that have an additional impact on their brain?
This article would be more accurate if all of the facts came directly from the source…humans.
For information on living a compassionate lifestyle: http://www.thefeelgoodvegan.com
— TheFeel Good VeganImagine what someone like Einstein might have accomplished if he had occasionally gone to the gym?
Only if he wanted to go to the gym then I could see how the motivation needed for the gym might correlate with the motivation to achieve in other areas.
I think “voluntary” is the key above about the study. I don’t think that being forced to do it with no incentive is quite the same thing. I find it very depressing to be forced to do anything and generally put on FAT as a response. It is acknowledged that its hard to induce a lab rat to lift weights. Wonder why?
How about we adjust for motivation? A person motivated to do a particular activity vs a person not motivated. Then test group A for people motivated to do different things and group B for those not motivated to do the same things. I bet you find that doing what you like doing or are rewarded for doing (in the case of a lab rat) is what makes the difference.
For those not motivated to go to the gym I doubt it helps.
— MelanieCBRAINS AND BRAWN
My guess that physical activity is (to some degree) is correlated to intelligence (as we define it in Western culture).
As to cause and effect, there maybe some intervening variables involved..
I personally since getting married 40 years ago, I have engaged in litle physical activitiy (another blame the wife comment).
I suspect that ‘intellectual curiosity’ is far more important in maintaining one’s cogntion functioning — or, is that just a rationalization due to my now preference for reading, culture — and the whole range of similar activities.
Interesting topic with no definitive conclusions — as yet.
— David Chowes, New York CityI’ve noticed the equivalent benefits of weight lifting and cardiovascular training in my own mental health.
As a writer, I work best in the days after a strenuous workout. Both weightlifting and cardiovascular training help my brain to fire on all cylinders, but they help it in different ways. Weightlifting helps me to invent new ideas quickly, while cardiovascular helps me to maintain a steady attention over a period of 3 or 4 hours.
Now that science has proven both help the brain, perhaps the next step of research requires differentiating between the different effects they have upon the brain.
— John FoxAll complex masculoskeletal activity is critically important to the functioning of the brain. The brain alone is the cage of the scull, can not account for the creativity of the body-brain by itself.
Einstein by the way did play the violin.
— Eli“You have to think about ‘proper form and learning the technique,’ she said, ‘while there generally is less learning involved in aerobic training,’ like running.”
please, maybe you think about proper form and technique, but i am usually day dreaming while lifting weights or thinking about the hot girl on the stair master.
— brain powerLet’s go to the gym! I must be smarter from having skied all week!
xo
jc
— jcThese findings have to be taken with a grain of salt. The control animals, particularly the rats, commonly are maintained in comparably small cages with little social interaction, little space to roam, nothing to explore, and plenty food. They live in an impoverished sensory environment. Therefore, their neurotrophin levels may be low compared with freely-roaming animals, and the opportunity to exercise takes them back to normal.
In addition, age may be critical.
— Peter MelzerRead more here:
http://brainmindinst.blogspot.com/2011/01/brain-plasticity-mind.html
Another excellent post, Gretchen. Thank you!
Liu-Ambrose’s articles original article on weight-training senior women was published along with 7 other articles touting the benefits of exercise in the January 25, 2010 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Together, they provide a super incentive to just get out there & move fast & lift weights.
Key benefits for the weight lifting ladies:
1. They saw improvements in their decision making, their ability to resolve conflicts, and they were better able to focus on subjects without becoming distracted by competing stimuli. Who can’t use more of that?
2. The cognitive benefit showed up after 12 months of training–but not after 6 months. Those who lifted weights 2 x a week experienced less muscle discomfort than those who lifted only once a week. No surprise!
Summaries of all 7 articles are here: “From the Archives of Internal Medicine–Seven Good Reasons to Exercise and Increase Your Chances For Healthy Aging”
http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/happy_healthy_long_life/2010/01/exercise.html
— The Healthy L ibrarianVery interesting article.
The claimed salubrious effects of exercise on the brain appears to extend to multiple stimuli beyond simple exercise.
I wonder if physically-stimulating and mood-enhancing experiences in general improve brain function — say, sexual arousal or joyful religious events.
— SequelIs this suppose to be a joke?!
— Dyker Park TruthsayerOne important factor in resistance training is focus. If the weights are heavy, the lifter needs intense concentration: A moment-to-moment (microseconds, really) attention to process. Years of this activity has an effect on the practitioner’s ability to focus his mind. An excellent sport for integrating mind and body.
— Barry BlitsteinIn 1978, at university I floated along and with 2 D’s made a C average. I started serious weightlifting including proper sleep and diet and in 1979 floated along for a B average. I continued the training and pursued academics with pretty well straight A’s. Take care of your body and you will take care of your mind. The Greeks knew and so did Arnold..
— JackI don’t know anything about intelligence and working out (aside from what’s presented in this article) but it’s well established that working out (especially cardiovascular fitness) feels good. I know that I feel better during the day if I’ve gone for a run in the morning.
http://mindinquirer.wordpress.com
— Mind InquirerThis makes perfect sense to me. After having sat around for nearly all of last semester, I decided to reestablish a somewhat vigorous physical fitness regime (cardio and weights) during Winter Break. The results on my thinking and my reading comprehension are astonishing. Last semester was the first time I ever laid off the gym for such a long period. From here on out, I will make the time to attend regularly. Not only do you look good, but your mind sharpens noticeably. Exercise is miraculous.
— Tom M.It works. I started lifting weights two months ago and my pet rats are now much smarter.
— hughFrom the accounts I’ve heard, Einstein was actually quite fit, both as an avid footballer and as a swimmer. Perhaps that did help…
— ForestLOL. Why do they suppose that the effect has something to do with blood flow, or cardiovascular health? Growth, whether of muscles or brains, is metabolically costly and we have evolved to do it only to the extent necessary. Obviously, and I do mean obviously, the researchers are triggering an evolutionary adaptation.
— Josh HillAll of these studies on human health have the same conclusion: we benefit when our lifestyle mimics that of our hunter-gatherer forebears. We should eat a huge variety of fresh fruits and veggies – and a bit of meat when we are lucky enough to score some. We should get lots of mild exercise every day – and maybe a bout of intense activity once in a while. I guess we don’t need a study to demonstrate that it’s better to avoid getting chomped by a large predator. In any case it would be hard to get volunteers for such a study…
— DavidIt’s unfortunate that such a large proportion of exercise time is dedicated to aerobic exercise. I suppose this discrepancy is the rotten leftovers of the aerobics craze of the 70s and 80s in the public mind. Women are generally the worst offenders in this category, with many never performing resistance exercise. In addition, for many who do, their efforts are less than maximal.
Progressive, intense resistance exercise benefits women at least as much as it does men. Improvements in posture, muscle “tone” and appearance, and ability to handle everyday lifting jobs can all be had through proper anaerobic work. As a previous commenter mentioned, 99.999% of women are not going to get “big” or “bulky” through weight lifting. You simply don’t have the hormonal environment nor generally adequate caloric intake to drive large scale muscular development. However, what a bit of muscle on your frame will do for you aesthetically is to tighten your silhouette and make your lines smoother and generally more desirable.
Besides looking better, increased muscle mass and anaerobic exercise in and of itself both help tremendously to control body fat accumulation and body composition. That is something everyone can use. Anaerobic exercise increases insulin sensitivity, allowing your body to use your food effectively, and the more muscle you carry, the more food is required to feed it.
Don’t rely on exercise to keep you lean. That’s what nutrition is for. Aerobic exercise in moderation is obviously good for your cardiovascular health. But there’s no need to overdo it and take recovery ability away from your muscle-building work. Make progressive resistance training a priority and see how it can benefit you.
http://www.NutritionPerfected.com/np-blog.html
— RobI am not sure if this article is correct or not, but I probably will after I finish my workout.
— steven westportI lift weights, run, and play sports (when family and work commitments allow). I definitely feel sharper, more energized, and more vital after doing any exercise.
I disagree, however, with the statement that with weights, “you have to think about “proper form and learning the technique…while there generally is less learning involved in aerobic training,” like running. Experienced runners are quite aware of their form while running.
— JTOne problem with applying the findings of this research to humans is that the study ignores opportunity cost. For animals, if they are not exercising, then there is almost no opportunity cost in terms of lost time for alternate activities. Whereas a human who dedicates 8-10 hours / week of discretionary time to the gym, including prep and travel time, could instead be using that time for reading, complex social interactions, work, going to a play, etc. That of course does not mean that exercise is not helpful; however, it does mean that the relative difference (exercise vs. control) is likely not as strong in humans as in animals.
— Austin S.