In an article published recently in the journal Nature, researchers argued not only that humans evolved to run long distances but also that endurance running, and sustained exercise in general, may be fundamental to maintaining cognitive function. Natural-born sprinters, we know we are not. Relative to fleet-footed mammals like greyhounds and pronghorn, we burn out quickly (the most elite human sprinters are able to maintain top speeds for a mere 15 seconds). On the other hand, we are great endurance runners, an ability not found in other primates. Our aerobic fitness capacity, in fact, is comparable to that of large migratory mammals such as wildebeests and canine predators such as wolves—animals that typically run at low speeds (e.g., a trot or canter) over great distances.
Our long-distance running ability likely evolved as a result of climatic changes in Africa some two million years ago that forced our ancestors down from trees in retreating forests and out onto open savannahs. Skeletal adaptations to support walking and running, such as the lengthening of legs, the shortening of toes, and the enlargement of weight-bearing joints, were accompanied by the development of an increased aerobic capacity and by metabolic and physical changes in the brain. Of particular importance to these changes, as detailed in the recent Nature paper, may have been a protein known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).
BDNF promotes the development, survival, and plasticity of neurons, and it appears to provide protective effects against neurodegeneration associated with Alzheimer disease, in which decreased BDNF levels have been reported. In contrast, exercise has been shown to increase the release of BDNF in the human brain by as much as two- to three-fold, and similar increases have been observed in exercising mice, specifically in the hippocampus and cortex of the brain.
In humans, the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex process information associated with decision-making, stress, and fear, and within these areas, BDNF may play an important role in enabling neural networks to adapt to environmental influences. This adaptive ability may be promoted by exercise-induced increases in BDNF within particular areas of the brain, which in turn could serve a key role in preventing psychiatric disorders such as depression and in protecting against Alzheimer disease, which is the most common form of dementia.
The 2012 Olympic Games in London promise to leave the world with a lifetime of memories. But with dementia on the rise globally, with 7.7 million new cases diagnosed each year, it is difficult to say what percentage of the world’s population will remember in two decades time where this year’s games took place. So, as the evolution of running performance was fundamental to the survival of our species into the modern era, maintaining that performance capacity is now vital to our future.