Myelin, fatty tissue that insulates nerve cells in the brain, may be a renewable energy source for marathon runners and other endurance athletes.
, the fatty tissue bundled around nerve fibers, for energy during a race, scientists report October 10 in a paper posted at bioRxiv.org. In the day or two following a marathon, this tissue seems to dwindle drastically, brain scans of runners reveal. Two weeks after the race, the brain fat bounces back to nearly prerace levels. The find suggests that the athletes burn so much energy running that they need to tap into a new fuel supply to keep the brain operating smoothly.
Much of the human brain contains myelin, tissue that sheathes nerve fibers and acts as an insulator, like rubber coating an electrical wire. That insulation lets electrical messages zip from nerve cell to nerve cell, allowing high-speed communication that’s crucial for brain function. Fatty molecules and other myelin sheath components regularly turn over, breaking down the insulating material and building it back up again, he says. In mice,— the brain’s typical energy source — is scarce, Nave’s team’s experiments have suggested.
Myelin levels across runners’ brains appear to dwindle after a marathon . Two weeks later, much of this insulating material seems to return . Scientists performed MRI scans of runners’ brains pre- and post-run, and after two weeks of recovery, then charted average myelin levels. The team’s analysis used water between layers of myelin as a proxy for myelin content. Warmer colors suggest more myelin; cooler colors suggest less.
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