Marathons are so extreme that our brain makes drastic decisions, as how to consume itself

Running a marathon implies a considerable effort that can lead to our body to its limits. Of course, our brain is no exception in this regard.

Effects on neurons. A new study has shown how marathons affect the structure of neurons. Specifically, the study responsible for the study found that this type of career Reduces myelina layer layer that covers these brain cells.

This substance It is composed of proteins and fatty substances. Myelin Surround the axons, elongated parts of a neuron that connect it with other neurons and through which nerve impulses are transmitted. That is why its deterioration can make nerve impulses slow down, something we see in people with multiple sclerosis.

High consumption. The energy consumption of the brain is very high if we take as reference its mass, Explain the responsible team From the new study: this organ consumes 20% of the energy of our body despite representing approximately 2% of its weight. The team wanted to find out what happened with an organ as avid to consume energy in extreme situations as a marathon.

In reserve. And it is that these types of contexts force our body to take drastic measures for subsistence. Prolonged exercise, for example, can make our body exhaust its carbohydrate reserves, the primary source of body energy. The following energy reserve is in the fat we store. Already in extreme cases, our body can dissolve muscle proteins to obtain this energy, explains the equipment.

As the team observed, this translates into the consumption of myelin that covers neurons. This reduction occurred in an important part of the gray and white matter of the brain and that, although some regions were more affected than others, the impact did spread similarly in the two cerebral hemispheres.

“The results of our study indicate that nerve cells in conditions of hypoglycemia (little glucose) use alternative energy sources, such as myelin, a fat structure that surrounds the axons or nerve fibers that communicate the neurons and facilitates the ultra rapid propagation of the electrical signals,” Explain in a press release Carlos Matute, co -author of the study.

Magnetic resonances. To carry out the study, the team made various resonances Magnetic to a dozen of marathon runners. They repeated these resonances on several occasions: the day before and the day after the race, two weeks and two months later.

The details of the study have been published recently In an article In the magazine Nature Metabolism.

A reversible change. The good news is that this change is reversible. The study itself showed how at two months, the myelin of the runners’ neurons recovered their usual levels.

Uncertain impact. The study found a deterioration of myelin but for now we do not know how or to what degree this deterioration translated into effects on the cognitive functions of the brain. We know that the absence of myelin is linked to severe neurological disorders such as sclerosis.

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Image | Mārtiņš Zemlickis / Imgmidi