Minimal effort required: A ten-minute run can boost brain processing

Minimal researchers found that as little as ten minutes of moderate-intensity running could benefit mental health. In study participants, both mood and cognitive functions improved. And the activation of bilateral prefrontal subregions associated with cognitive function and mood also increased. These results demonstrate the potential advantages of exercise prescriptions for various conditions including mental health treatment.

Unlocking the Minimal Power of Running: Evolutionary Benefits Beyond Cycling

There is clear evidence that minimal physical activity has several benefits, such as the capacity to improve mood. But in earlier studies, cycling was the form of workout studied more often. Running, on the other hand, has at all times played an essential role in the well-being of humans. Human running’s unique efficiency includes the ability to sustain jogging over sprinting for extended periods. This unique form of running closely connects to the evolutionary success of human beings.

Despite these details, researchers have not yet closely observed the effects of running on brain regions that control mood and executive functions.

To examine their hypothesis, the research team used the well-established Stroop Color-Word Test and recorded hemodynamic changes associated with brain activity during each task.

For instance, in one task, the study presents dissimilar information, such as the word “red” written in green, and participants must name the color instead of reading the word. To do so, the human brain needs to process both sets of information and constrain the extraneous information. The Stroop interference effect was calculated by comparing response times for this task with those for a simpler task—naming color swatches.

The results established that, after ten minutes of moderate-intensity running, there was a noteworthy decrease in Stroop interference effect time. In addition, bilateral prefrontal activation had considerably increased during the Stroop task. After running, participants confessed being in an improved mood than before.