Exercise has significant benefits for both physical and mental health. It increases levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin that are linked to reducing depression and improving nerve cell connections in the brain. A lack of exercise contributes to issues like overweightness and depression, which account for high healthcare costs. Several studies have found that exercise is more effective than antidepressants in treating depression and improves learning, brain cell development, and reduces stress hormones. Voluntary exercise produces more benefits than forced exercise. Aerobic exercise combined with skills training is recommended for conditions like ADHD.

1. EXERCISE AND THE BRAIN
Jennifer
Gilton

2. • Inactivity shrivels our
brains. Our society
separates the mind and
body, but there is a
biological relationship
between the two.

3. “Spark” john J.Ratey, MD
Source:
• Exercise increases levels of
serotonin. Lack of this
neurotransmitter has been directly
linked to depression, which can
cause eroded nerve cell
connections and shrinkage to the
brain.

4. “Spark” john J.Ratey, MD
Source:
• 65% of this nations adults are
overweight and 17%
experience depression
sometime in their life to a tune
of 26.1 billion dollars in Health
Care costs each year!

5. :“S,park” john J.Ratey, Md AND
Source
moneyland.time.com
• In October 2000, researchers at Duke
University put a study in the New
York Times that exercise is BETTER
than Zoloft for depression. When the
top 1/5th controls 84% of all U.S
wealth, you can understand why
someone in a suit would want you to
take a pharmaceutical.

6. “Spark” john J.Ratey, MD
Source:
• Science: 80% of brain signaling is
carried out by 2 neurotransmitters
that balance. Glutamate stirs up
activity and GABA clamps down on it.
Serotonin, norepinephrine, and
dopamine (exercise increases levels
of all 3) are neurotransmitters that
primarily adjust the flow of info for
balance.

7. “Spark” john J.Ratey, MD
Source:
• Exercise improves learning on 3 levels:
• It optimizes your mindset to improve
alertness, attention and motivation.
• It prepares and encourages nerve cells to
bind to one another, which is the cellular
basis for logging in new info.
• It stirs the development of new nerve cells
from stem cells in the Hippocampus.

8. Source: “european journal of neuroScience. feb 2011
vol 33. issue 4. p 599-611
• Adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus
and OB (olfactory bulb) have been clearly
documented. “30-70% of newly generated
neurons in the adults brain undergo
PCD(Programmed cell death) within one
month.” PCD “is regulated by a variety of
physiological and pathological conditions”,
such as stress and exercise.

9. “Spark” john J.Ratey, MD
Source:
• But, high levels of the stress hormone,
cortisol, kill neurons in the hippocampus.
Reduce stress, while making and keeping
new cells: EXERCISE!

10. Source: “european journal of neuroScience. mar 2011
vol 33. issue 6. p 1018-1024
• Voluntary wheel running prominently induces
precursor cell proliferation…and neurogenesis at
later stages will continue to rise.
• Notice it said voluntary? Lab rats
have shown that forced exercise
doesn’t produce the benefits that
voluntary does.

11. “Spark” john J.Ratey, MD
Source:
• Antidepressants are effective in reducing
depression. Unfortunately, there is known side
effects to all of them and it is rewarding for
anyone to know that they conquered their
depression themselves.
• FunFact: Antidepressants were discovered in
the 1950’s when people were deemed
inappropriately happy after taking an
experimental tuberculosis drug.

12. “Spark” john J.Ratey, MD
Source:
• What kind of exercise you asked? Workout
regimes should include skill acquisition
and aerobic exercise.
• Hofsta Unniversity study found that ADHD
boys from 8-11 participating in martial arts
2 times weekly had an improvement in
behavior and performance.

13. “Spark” john J.Ratey, MD
Source:
• The attention circuits are jointly regulated by the
neurotransmitters norepinephrine and
dopamine. These are the chemicals targeted in
ADHD medication.
• The combination of challenging the brain and
body is best in balancing the neurotransmitters
and combating ADHD: martial arts, rock
climbing, dance, gymnastics and sorry mom,
skateboarding are perfect ways!

14. SOURCE: Jennifer Gilton
• Whether you need to set a goal, pay a
trainer, or get a dog for a running partner,
start exercising and take hold of your life!

15. Works cited
• *European Journal of Neuroscience. Feb 2011 vol 33. issue 4. p 599-611
• *European Journal of Neuroscience. MAR 2011 vol 33. issue 6. p 1018-1024
• *Ratey, John J., and Eric Hagerman. Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. New
York: Little, Brown, 2008. Print.
"What Class Divide? Rich and Poor, Red and Blue Agree on Wealth Distribution." TIME.com. N.p., n.d. Web.
06 Aug. 2012. <http://moneyland.time.com/2012/04/03/what-class-divide-survey-shows-remarkable-
agreement-on-wealth-distribution-among-rich-and-poor-left-and-right/>.