A short bout of exercise enhances brain function

短时锻炼可以提升大脑功能

上海译锐翻译   2019-7-4      14:07 p.m.

Researchers discover a gene in mice that's activated by brief periods of exercise

研究人员在老鼠身上发现，短暂的锻炼可以激活某种基因

Most people know that regular exercise is good for your health. New research shows it may make you smarter, too.

绝大多数人都知道，定期锻炼对健康有好处。新的研究结果发现，定期锻炼除了对健康有好处外，还会让你变得更加聪明。

Neuroscientists at OHSU in Portland, Oregon, working with mice, have discovered that a short burst of exercise directly boosts the function of a gene that increases connections between neurons in the hippocampus, the region of the brain associated with learning and memory.

俄勒冈波特兰的俄勒冈健康科学大学的神经学科学家在老鼠身上发现，短时的锻炼可以直接促进一种基因的功能。这种基因可以增加海马体中神经元之间的联系。海马体是大脑中与学习和记忆有关的一个区域。

Hippocampus[ˌhɪpə'kæmpəs]：海马（大脑中被认为是感情和记忆中心的部分）

Neuron['nʊ.rɑn]：神经元

The research is published online in the journal eLife.

研究报告发表在电子版杂志eLife上。

"Exercise is cheap, and you don't necessarily need a fancy gym membership or have to run 10 miles a day," said co-senior author Gary Westbrook, M.D., senior scientist at the OHSU Vollum Institute and Dixon Professor of Neurology in the OHSU School of Medicine.

联合资深作者、医学博士、俄亥俄健康科学大学沃勒姆学院资深科学家Gary Westbrook和俄亥俄医学院神经学教授Dixon表示：“锻炼是一种非常经济的手段。你不用非得拥有一个炫酷的健身会员卡或一天跑10英里。”

Previous research in animals and in people shows that regular exercise promotes general brain health. However, it's hard to untangle the overall benefits of exercise to the heart, liver and muscles from the specific effect on the brain. For example, a healthy heart oxygenates the whole body, including the brain.

此前针对动物和人类的研究表明定期锻炼会促进大脑健康。然而，我们很难从锻炼对大脑的具体影响中判断锻炼对心脏、肝脏以及肌肉的总体益处。比如说，健康的心脏会为全身，包括大脑供氧。

Untangle：理清、弄清

"Previous studies of exercise almost all focus on sustained exercise," Westbrook said. "As neuroscientists, it's not that we don't care about the benefits on the heart and muscles but we wanted to know the brain-specific benefit of exercise."

Westbrook表示：“此前针对锻炼的研究几乎都集中在可持续的锻炼方面。作为神经科学学家而言，我们并不是不在意锻炼对心脏和肌肉的益处，我们只是更想知道锻炼对大脑的好处。”

So the scientists designed a study in mice that specifically measured the brain's response to single bouts of exercise in otherwise sedentary mice that were placed for short periods on running wheels. The mice ran a few kilometers in two hours.

因此，科学家设计了一项研究。在研究中，一个静坐的老鼠被放在旋转的轮子上奔跑一小会-2个小时奔跑几公里，然后专门研究老鼠的大脑对于这一次锻炼的反应。

The study found that short-term bursts of exercise -- the human equivalent of a weekly game of pickup basketball, or 4,000 steps -- promoted an increase in synapses in the hippocampus. Scientists made the key discovery by analyzing genes that were increased in single neurons activated during exercise.

研究发现，短期的锻炼-相当于人类一周打一场篮球比赛或走4000步，会促进海马体中突触的增加。通过分析锻炼过程中被激活的单个神经元中的基因，科学家们有了重大发现。

synapses['sɪnæps]：突触

One particular gene stood out: Mtss1L. This gene had been largely ignored in prior studies in the brain.

一个特别的基因显现了出来：Mtss1L。这个基因在之前的大脑研究中几乎被忽略。

"That was the most exciting thing," said co-lead author Christina Chatzi, Ph.D.

联合首席作者、博士Christina Chatzi表示：“这是最让人兴奋的发现。”

The Mtss1L gene encodes a protein that causes bending of the cell membrane. Researchers discovered that when this gene is activated by short bursts of exercise, it promotes small growths on neurons known as dendritic spines -- the site at which synapses form.

Mtss1L基因解码了一种蛋白质，这种蛋白质会造成细胞膜弯曲。研究人员发现，当该基因被短时锻炼激活后，它会促进被称作树突棘（突触形成的地方）的神经元的小幅生长。

In effect, the study showed that an acute burst of exercise is enough to prime the brain for learning.

事实上，研究表明，锻炼的爆发力足以提升大脑的学习能力。

In effect：实际上、总之

In the next stage of research, scientists plan to pair acute bouts of exercise with learning tasks to better understand the impact on learning and memory.

在研究的下一阶段，科学家们计划将剧烈锻炼与学习任务结合起来，以更好地了解锻炼对学习和记忆力的影响。

英文来源：科学日报     编辑：Susan