Elsevier

Physiology & Behavior

Volume 92, Issues 1–2, September 2007, Pages 136-140
Physiology & Behavior

Running is rewarding and antidepressive

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.05.015Get rights and content

Abstract

Natural behaviors such as eating, drinking, reproduction and exercise activate brain reward pathways and consequently the individual engages in these behaviors to receive the reward. However, drugs of abuse are even more potent in activating the reward pathways. Rewarding behaviors and addictive drugs also affect other parts of the brain not directly involved in the mediation of reward. For instance, running increases neurogenesis in hippocampus and is beneficial as an antidepressant in a genetic animal model of depression and in depressed humans. Here we discuss and compare neurochemical and functional changes in the brain after addictive drugs and exercise with a focus on brain reward pathways and hippocampus.

Section snippets

Introduction “the one and only” reward system is activated both by natural and drug-induced rewards

Desire to experience pleasure is the usual initial driving force to take drugs. Numerous studies have described acute effects of different rewarding drugs and the common denominator of their mode of action appears to be release of dopamine in nucleus accumbens [1]. Similarly, natural behaviors that are essential in daily life and reproduction also mediate release of dopamine in nucleus accumbens. Also other common behaviors such as playing computer games [2], listening to pleasant music [3], or

Genetics of drug consumption and other reward seeking behaviors

There are several ways in which to search for candidate genes that may influence addictive behaviors in animal models; a classical one is to use inbred animals. In rats, the Lewis strain is drug addiction-prone whereas the Fischer strain is not, although both were derived from the Sprague–Dawley strain [18], [19]. Interestingly, the Lewis strain also develops a high running activity when given free access to running wheels and already after two weeks these rats can run as much as 10 km/day [20]

Behavioral interaction between running and alcohol consumption

A common feature of addictive drugs is that they increase dopamine levels in nucleus accumbens and this mechanism could account for the cross-sensitization phenomenon, i.e., that one drug may potentiate or sensitize the locomotor activating effect of another drug. Few studies have tested if there is behavioral cross-sensitization between a naturally rewarding behavior and drug-induced behavior. Wheel running is a rewarding behavior that shares many features with those of addictive drugs. For

Running, alcohol and neurogenesis

Running can be addictive and reinforcing, and it also has an antidepressant effect in humans. There are two major sites in the brain for adult neurogenesis, the sub-granular zone of the dentate gyrus and the sub-ventricular zone. New cells formed in the sub-ventricular zone migrate along the rostral migratory stream to the olfactory bulb whereas those formed in the sub-granular zone remain within the dentate gyrus. All commonly used antidepressive treatments such as ECT, tricyclics and SSRI

Concluding remarks

Running can be rewarding, antidepressive and can increase neurogenesis/cell proliferation in hippocampus in rodents. In this paper we have reviewed work on adaptive effects of running and compared it to the effects of addictive drugs and antidepressant treatments. In animal studies running causes neurochemical and morphological adaptations in brain reward pathways and hippocampus that also are shared by addictive drugs. As running has beneficial effects in treatment of depression a better

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Swedish Research Council (grants 11642 and 10414), Systembolaget, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Aging. M.W. is supported by the Swedish Brain Foundation.

References (51)

  • A.J. Eisch et al.

    Striatal subregions are differentially vulnerable to the neurotoxic effects of methamphetamine

    Brain Res

    (1992)
  • J.J. Kril et al.

    The cerebral cortex is damaged in chronic alcoholics

    Neuroscience

    (1997)
  • G. Di Chiara et al.

    Drugs abused by humans preferentially increase synaptic dopamine concentrations in the mesolimbic system of freely moving rats

    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

    (1988)
  • M.J. Koepp et al.

    Evidence for striatal dopamine release during a video game

    Nature

    (1998)
  • A.J. Blood et al.

    Intensely pleasurable responses to music correlate with activity in brain regions implicated in reward and emotion

    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

    (2001)
  • Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders

    (1994)
  • L.E. Armstrong et al.

    The unknown mechanism of the overtraining syndrome: clues from depression and psychoneuroimmunology

    Sports Med

    (2002)
  • G. Kentta et al.

    Training practices and overtraining syndrome in Swedish age-group athletes

    Int J Sports Med

    (2001)
  • D.C. McKenzie

    Markers of excessive exercise

    Can J Appli Physiol

    (1999)
  • G.F. Koob et al.

    Drug abuse: hedonic homeostatic dysregulation

    Science

    (1997)
  • E.J. Nestler

    Molecular basis of long-term plasticity underlying addiction

    Nat Rev Neurosci.

    (2001)
  • M. Werme et al.

    Running and cocaine both upregulate dynorphin mRNA in medial caudate putamen

    Eur J Neurosci

    (2000)
  • M. Werme et al.

    Delta FosB regulates wheel running

    J Neurosci

    (2002)
  • R.A. Wise et al.

    A psychomotor stimulant theory of addiction

    Psychol Rev

    (1987)
  • P.E. Paulson et al.

    Time course of transient behavioral depression and persistent behavioral sensitization in relation to regional brain monoamine concentrations during amphetamine withdrawal in rats

    Psychopharmacology

    (1991)
  • Cited by (143)

    • Exercise and fluoxetine treatment during adolescence protect against early life stress-induced behavioral abnormalities in adult rats

      2021, Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior
      Citation Excerpt :

      Recently, it has been shown that non-pharmacological therapies (such as environmental enrichment) have therapeutic effects in the treatment of mood disorders (Francis et al., 2002; Salmon, 2001). Focusing on animal studies, it has been evident that applying voluntary running wheel (RW) and obligatory treadmill (TM) exercises has anxiolytic and antidepressant-like effects in rodents (Brené et al., 2007; Patki et al., 2014). However, the molecular mechanisms by which physical activity exert its positive effects on health are unknown.

    • Physical activity: A promising adjunctive treatment for severe alcohol use disorder

      2021, Addictive Behaviors
      Citation Excerpt :

      Physical activity could thus be a self-regulatory strategy to improve “feelings of energy” and increase positive affect (Reed & Ones, 2006; Stoutenberg et al., 2016). It could also be considered as a safe way to activate the reward system, thus “competing” with drinking behavior (Brené et al., 2007; Lynch et al., 2013 for reviews). Finally, in a randomized counter balanced cross-over study (brisk walking i.e. moderate aerobic exercise versus 15 min of passive seating) conducted in 20 abstaining (at least 3 days of abstinence) excessive alcohol drinkers, Taylor et al showed that a single session of exercise could reduce automatic attentional bias towards alcohol-related images and alcohol urge (Taylor, Oh, & Cullen, 2013).

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text