The Spark Study
Mindy Bacon.
Clark Community College

The Spark Study Americans have increasingly become sedentary, non-active people. This results in obesity, an alarming rise in type two diabetes, attention deficit problems, heart disease, and chronic depression in both adults and now is an epidemic in children. This book explains why physical activity especially aerobic activity is crucial to the way our brains learn, affect mood, depression, stress and attention. In Chapter one of “Spark, The Revolutionary New Science Of Exercise And The Brain”, shows how exercise improves brain functioning. A revolutionary case study was performed in a school district outside of Chicago. Naperville Central High School in Illinois transformed nineteen thousand students into very healthy and fit students with only 3 percent overweight versus 30 percent overweight nationally (Ratey & Hagerman, 2008). The students are also among the smartest in the nation. In 1999 Naperville’s eighth graders took an international standards test: Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Asian countries have out performed United States of American students in math and science for many years. As stated in the New York Times, most Asian countries score well, almost half of the students score in the top, while only 7 percent of U. S. students do (Ratey & Hagerman, 2008). The children from Naperville, Illinois took the TIMSS and astonished the world. They scored sixth in math, and first in Science in the world (Ratey & Hagerman, 2008). The huge change began with a regular physical education (P.E.) Teacher being alarmed with a study he read about the decline in children’s health. He restructured the physical fitness program at his school to one with more emphasis on cardiovascular fitness and required the children to run the mile every week! Zero Hour P.E. class began with students coming at 7:10 am and exercising with the goal to keep their heart rate between 80 and 90 percent of maximum heart rate. Physical activity ignites biological changes that encourage brain cells to bind to one another (Ratey & Hagerman, 2008). A critical protein, brain- derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is elevated during moderate aerobic exercise and as the author states it’s like “Miracle –Gro for the brain” (Ratey & Hagerman, 2008). The P.E. teacher also tried to encompass building up the children’s confidence and trust by also requiring a square dance class to build social skills and a blindfolded drill on a high ropes course. The skills of confidence and trust are important for life. I learned that although I know and have been educated greatly on the benefits of exercise, I still do not take it seriously. I always enjoyed sports and being active as a child and young adult. Several studies have shown that fit kids score twice as well academically than unfit kids. Now, that I’ve seen these case studies and understand the science more, I see truly how critical exercising at least 45 minutes a day is to my total health. It begins with brain health, then the entire body. Chapter five is about how exercise can enhance ones mood and lower depression. Medical researchers still do not know for certain what causes depression. Some state the obvious it is part environment and part chemical problems in the brain. Alarmingly, the World Health Organization shows depression is the leading cause of disability in the United States and Canada, going beyond heart disease and cancer rates (Ratey & Hagerman, 2008). In the past fifty years psychiatric research has primarily been studying mood disorders. American adults with depression have exploded, over 17 percent of the nation has depression and this costs $ 26.1 billion in healthcare every year (Ratey & Hagerman, 2008). Depression symptoms cover many areas: sadness, lethargy, forgetfulness, irritable, melancholy, pessimistic, insomnia, anorexia, and withdrawal from life activities. In 1965, a research psychiatrist from Massachusetts discovered norepinephrine was reduced in depressed clients (Ratey & Hagerman, 2008). This led to the Monoamine hypothesis which states depression is caused by abnormally low amounts of three neurotransmitters: norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin (Ratey & Hagerman, 2008). A neuroscientist from Johns Hopkins University discovered opiate receptors in the brain that worked like morphine relieving pain (Ratey & Hagerman, 2008). After moderate to intense aerobic exercise (running, dance class, basketball, rowing) endorphins are elevated in the blood stream working similar to morphine reducing pain and producing euphoria in the mind (Ratey & Hagerman, 2008). Many studies have shown that people who are active on a regular basis have less depression and mood disorders. In 2006, a huge Dutch study of 19,288 twins showed people who exercise are less anxious, less depressed and more socially engaged (Ratey & Hagerman, 2008). A Finnish study in 1999, of 3,403 people who did cardio exercise three times per week were consistently less depressed, less angry, and experienced less feelings of stress (Ratey & Hagerman, 2008). Doctors use many antidepressant medications trying to find the right fit that will help their patients. Prozac a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) has been one of the leading medications in treating depression. A SSRI works by preventing the neurotransmitter serotonin from leaving an area in the brain, thus making more available for the brain’s use (Ratey & Hagerman, 2008). Serotonin has a calming or “happy” effect on one’s mood. Prozac has worked for millions, but it does not work for everyone and it has a troubling side effect of low sex drives in the patients who take it. Exercise can be just as effective as medication in treating depression. A landmark study at Duke University in 1999 called SMILE (Standard Medical Intervention and Long-term Exercise) had the benefits of exercise go up against Zoloft (SSRI) medication. The study was conducted over sixteen weeks with 156 patients divided into three groups: Zoloft only, exercise only, or combination of both. The exercise group jogged or walked fast 30 minutes three times a week. The results were that all three groups had drops in depression, and half showed no signs of depression at all (Ratey & Hagerman, 2008). The main researcher at Duke University concluded that exercise was just as beneficial as the medications were in treating depression and had less risk involved for the patient (Ratey & Hagerman, 2008). I found these Study’s very interesting and informative. If exercise benefits the brain and depression almost as much or in some cases more than medications, why isn’t it stressed way more in Health care and psychiatry? It’s much better for our bodies to do things that are “natural” in enhancing our health. I also was very intrigued with a little sentence in the chapter on Norway and Britain using exercise as treatment for depressed patients. I would love to see more doctors and Behavioral health specialist doing this at the hospitals, psych wards and Nursing homes. I can only imagine the change from negative behaviors to positive promising moods and behaviors. People who suffer with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) also can greatly benefit from being active in sports or an exercise regimen. Chapter six outlines symptoms, case studies and gives hope for gaining more focus through exercise. ADHD’s major symptoms are: inattention, high distractibility, impulsivity, impatience, major procrastination, moodiness, and the ability to hyper-focus (Ratey & Hagerman, 2008). ADHD is a complex disorder and has a wide variation of how the symptoms are manifested in each individual. Basically speaking, ADHD occurs from a malfunction of the brain’s prefrontal cortex in the brain and how the neurons activate this area to induce proper focus and motivation (Ratey & Hagerman, 2008). The prefrontal cortex also is where our working memory is. This is were people with ADHD struggle greatly. This area teaches an individual to delay gratification and keep attention on work or school with a long-term goal in mind. The working memory is the “backbone of all the executive functions” to keeping track of time and having attention to detail (Ratey & Hagerman, 2008). Exercise, and particularly learning karate or challenging dance steps can help develop the prefrontal cortex and working memory. Doing something physical, a karate kick or playing the piano, makes the cerebellum work harder (Ratey & Hagerman, 2008). The cerebellum has half of the total neurons of our brain, and very important for learning new behaviors (Ratey & Hagerman, 2008). School can be a disaster for children with ADHD. They have to sit still for several hours, listen to a teacher for many hours, without talking or moving. Exercise and recess to run, jump rope, chase others greatly helps reduce stress. Moderate aerobic exercise increases the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine. These promote new receptor growth in the brain stem (Ratey & Hagerman, 2008). All of this helps promote calmness and focus in the ADHD person, which will help them in the stressful often boring setting of schools and colleges. ADHD is a very complex disorder. It can be extremely debilitating to those individuals diagnosed with it. I see how truly important a structured environment with low distractibility is critical to the success of a person with ADHD. Exercise again, only can enhance the brain making the neurons work effectively and actually developing the cortex for higher intelligent functioning. The best exercise is something that requires learning new movements along with taxing the muscles. People with ADHD can be highly intelligent and highly engaged due to their hyperfocus to learn something well. They may struggle with organization and time management for life, but have many other strengths to give. Chapter ten discussed what types of exercise are helpful for the brain’s functioning: walking, jogging, running, and interval training. The most important thing is simply to exercise- do something! A study performed by Columbia University lab in 2007, proved that the brain can grow new nerve cells (Ratey & Hagerman). The researcher placed a group of volunteers on a three-month exercise program and took before and after Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) pictures of their brains. The MRI scans showed a 30 percent increase in capillary volume in the hippocampus, a major breakthrough (Ratey & Hagerman). The author stressed to walk or jog every day to get fit. Low-intensity exercise is walking using 55 to 65 percent of maximum heart rate, moderate-intensity exercise is jogging using 65 to 75 percent of maximum heart rate, and high-intensity would be running using 75 to 90 percent of maximum heart rate. Having an exercise buddy, buying heart rate monitors or pedometers are great ways to motivate and encourage active consistent exercise. I definitely have been motivated to get moving and began in December to walk 45 minutes at least three days a week. This entire book was fascinating to me. I enjoyed reading it and have shared several insights with family members and friends. Some days I am not motivated to move or exercise, and it’s those days I probably need it the most. Like the author states, it’s of great benefit when I can walk with a friend. I will not let a friend down, and this helps me with a healthy accountability to exercise on a regular basis. The benefit is for my body, brain and spirit.

References
Ratey, J. J., & Hagerman, E., (2008). Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise And The Brain. New York, NY: Hachette Book Group, Inc.