Sports and the human brain: an evolutionary perspective

Wallace, Ian J.; Hainline, Clotilde; Lieberman, Daniel E.

doi:10.1016/b978-0-444-63954-7.00001-x

Cited by 12 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Physical exercise was defined by Caspersen as a planned, structured and repetitive physical activity done with the objective of improving or promoting physical fitness (28). Exercise has been an important force of evolution for the human species in order to hunt for food sources, adapt to the environment and, in consequence, to alter physiology and development of the brain, displaying co-evolution of neuroplasticity signaling pathways (29)(30)(31)(32).…”

Section: Physical Exercise and Agingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Physical Exercise on Autophagy and Apoptosis in Aged Brain: Human and Animal Studies

et al. 2020

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The aging process is characterized by a series of molecular and cellular changes over the years that could culminate in the deterioration of physiological parameters important to keeping an organism alive and healthy. Physical exercise, defined as planned, structured and repetitive physical activity, has been an important force to alter physiology and brain development during the process of human beings' evolution. Among several aspects of aging, the aim of this review is to discuss the balance between two vital cellular processes such as autophagy and apoptosis, based on the fact that physical exercise as a non-pharmacological strategy seems to rescue the imbalance between autophagy and apoptosis during aging. Therefore, the effects of different types or modalities of physical exercise in humans and animals, and the benefits of each of them on aging, will be discussed as a possible preventive strategy against neuronal death.

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Section: Physical Exercise and Agingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Physical Exercise on Autophagy and Apoptosis in Aged Brain: Human and Animal Studies

et al. 2020

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“…An important teleological question to be raised is why are we so dependent of aerobic exercise for body fitness and how is this linked to adult neurogenesis and psychic well-being? The answer to this question may has its roots in our evolutive history ( Raichlen and Polk, 2013 ; Raichlen and Alexander, 2017 ; Wallace et al, 2018 ). Our last common ancestor with apes was some kind of arboreal quadrupedal ape that lived in African forests between 8 and 5 million years ago ( Wallace et al, 2018 ).…”

Section: An Evolutive Reason To Explain Why Aerobic Exercise and Enriched Environment Are Beneficial For Brain Cognition And Psychic Wellmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The answer to this question may has its roots in our evolutive history ( Raichlen and Polk, 2013 ; Raichlen and Alexander, 2017 ; Wallace et al, 2018 ). Our last common ancestor with apes was some kind of arboreal quadrupedal ape that lived in African forests between 8 and 5 million years ago ( Wallace et al, 2018 ). Current apes and the various hominids of the genus Homo descend from this common ancestor, which were adapted to tree climbing ( Wallace et al, 2018 ).…”

Section: An Evolutive Reason To Explain Why Aerobic Exercise and Enriched Environment Are Beneficial For Brain Cognition And Psychic Wellmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our last common ancestor with apes was some kind of arboreal quadrupedal ape that lived in African forests between 8 and 5 million years ago ( Wallace et al, 2018 ). Current apes and the various hominids of the genus Homo descend from this common ancestor, which were adapted to tree climbing ( Wallace et al, 2018 ). Early hominids, such as Homo erectus , evolved to walk in a bipedal posture and were hunter-gatherers for million years ( Marlowe, 2005 ).…”

Section: An Evolutive Reason To Explain Why Aerobic Exercise and Enriched Environment Are Beneficial For Brain Cognition And Psychic Wellmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During the endurance hunting, early hominids practiced intense aerobic activity walking or running for up to 15 km per day to capture animals. Over million years they progressively developed an important sense of cooperation to accomplish successful obtention of fresh food ( Hill, 2002 ; Raichlen and Polk, 2013 ; Raichlen and Alexander, 2017 ; Wallace et al, 2018 ). It has been hypothesized that our hunter-gatherer ancestors gradually developed complex cognitive skills from learning deductive reasoning during search for animal trail, which were then chosen by natural selection, contributing to the increase of brain volume and complexity of canonical circuits over the course of evolution ( Hill, 2002 ; Henrich, 2016 ).…”

Section: An Evolutive Reason To Explain Why Aerobic Exercise and Enriched Environment Are Beneficial For Brain Cognition And Psychic Wellmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis and Affective Disorders: New Neurons for Psychic Well-Being

Gomes-Leal

2021

Front. Neurosci.

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A paradigm shift in neuroscience was the discovery that new neurons are constantly produced in the adult mammalian brain of several species, including Homo sapiens. These new-born cells are formed in some main neurogenic niches, including the subventricular zone (SVZ) at the margin of the lateral ventricle and subgranular zone (SGZ) in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG). In the DG, neuroblasts derive from SGZ progenitors and migrate to the hippocampal granular layer becoming adult granule cells, which are integrated into functional adult circuits. It has been confirmed that adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) is a long-lasting phenomenon in the human brain. The functions of hippocampal new-born cells are not fully established. Experimental studies suggest that they have unique electrophysiological properties, including hyperexcitability, which enable them to regulate adult granule cells. Their specific function depends on the anatomical hippocampal location along the hippocampal dorsal-ventral axis. Dorsal hippocampus plays a more defined role on spatial learning and contextual information, while the ventral hippocampus is more related to emotional behavior, stress resilience and social interaction. Several reports suggest a role for AHN in pattern separation, cognitive flexibility, forgetting and reversal learning. It has been proposed that deficits in AHN might impair normal DG function, including pattern separation and cognitive flexibility, which could play a role on the etiology of affective disorders, such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this paper, we review recent scientific evidence suggesting that impairment of AHN may underlie the pathophysiology of affective disorders even in humans and that neurogenesis-inspired therapies may be a promising approach to reduce symptoms of affective disorders in humans.

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Biosphärische-technosphärische Transformationen – Dreißig praktikable Vorsätze

Küppers¹

2020

Geniale Prinzipien Der Natur

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Sports and the human brain: an evolutionary perspective

Cited by 12 publications

References 45 publications

Effects of Physical Exercise on Autophagy and Apoptosis in Aged Brain: Human and Animal Studies

Effects of Physical Exercise on Autophagy and Apoptosis in Aged Brain: Human and Animal Studies

Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis and Affective Disorders: New Neurons for Psychic Well-Being

Biosphärische-technosphärische Transformationen – Dreißig praktikable Vorsätze

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