For Gym Saint Exupéry, this is a first. Monday, between 2 and 4 p.m. in the municipal hall Le Bateau in Port-Fréjus, the association is organizing a conference with the central theme “the brain and sport”.
To lead it, Agnès Huiban-Baude, neurobiologist specializing in neuroanatomy, researcher at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and member of the Mediterranean Neurobiology Institute (Inmed).
Currently responsible for work studying the mechanisms of setting up neural networks during development, the researcher warns: she will approach the existing interactions between the head and the legs through a biological prism only.
What are the highlights of this conference?
The idea is to explain how sport can be beneficial to brain function, to what extent the brain controls the various factors inherent in physical activity.
We often hear regarding the mind of the great champions. But does sport also have a positive effect on the brain?
Absolutely. It has a direct effect. Studies show that a physical activity can be at the origin of a transformation of its structure, in particular. Sport, especially at a high level, will modulate the very structure of the brain and modify its activity. Afterwards, talking regarding a “big mind” in a top athlete is more a matter of psychology. A top athlete who is mentally strong would also be so in another context. On the other hand, what we do know is that physical activity will stimulate certain neural circuits that will facilitate the release of endorphins. This will promote the feeling of well-being. It’s a fact, people even become addicted to the sport!
How can the brain and physical activity be linked?
The nerves will connect the brain to the muscles and the viscera. It is through this that the brain will send messages to the organs and muscles, which send them information back to the brain. Hence the control and regulation, by the brain, of visceral and motor activity. If a heart beats too fast, the reflex will be to decrease the heart rate. Everything is connected. The central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord, sends and receives messages. It is a permanent exchange. Without this, several pathologies are possible. This is the problem, for example, of multiple sclerosis. Nerves will die and therefore there will be no more muscle control.
What can sport contribute to the brain, concretely?
In the case of an elderly person in good health who exercises regularly, we see that the hippocampus is better preserved. It loses fewer neurons. Which is equivalent, concretely, to keeping a better memory with age. Amnesic decline is less rapid or does not occur, compared to an older, healthy person who is not active.
Monday March 27, between 2 and 4 p.m. at Le Bateau in Port-Fréjus. Free admission depending on the places available. Possibility to book at 06.70.42.88.05.
