Exercise & Altered States of Consciousness

Michael Galindo - Hannah KangScott Garcia

COGS175 - 5/30/2007

Presentation Outline

Effects of exercise

Altered states; The Runner’s High

Conclusion: Comparisons to other ASC’s

Exercise and Health

“A sound mind in a sound body is a short, but full description of a happy state in this world.”

John Locke

• Improves physical and psychological health

Exercise and ASC

Endorphins– Morphine-like effect

“Runner’s High”– Other effects on consciousness– Regulation of several processes

Exercise and ASC

Long Term baseline change– Mood– Motivation– Anxiety– Sleep– Stress– self-esteem

Exercise and ASC

• Equivalent results to • Drugs• Psychotherapy

Changes in protein production Neurogenesis

Significance

Direction for research Synthesis of treatments Altering the normal, waking state

What is Runner’s High?

Runner’s High•Pure happiness•Elation•Feeling of unity•Peacefulness•Timelessness

Trance States•Distorted perception•Atypical thought pattern•Diminished awareness•Understanding of one’s sense of identity

Dietrich’s Hypothesis

• Exercise induces a state of transient hypofrontality

• Exercise demands activation in many neural structures

• Comes at expense of the higher cognitive areas such as the prefrontal cortex.

Effects of Transient Hypofrontality on Exercise

• Psychological level• Allows for “time-out” from life’s stress

• Neural level• Allows for insight into alteration of

consciousness.• Runner’s High

Effects of Transient hypofrontality on different sports

• Disengagement of prefrontal cortex is dependent upon demands of the physical activity

• Basketball • Running

Effects of Basal Ganglia on Runners High

• Experience of exercise is dependent upon skill level and nature of movement

• Basal Ganglia controls automatic motor behavior

• The more natural the movement, the more quickly it is transferred to the basal ganglia.

• Therefore runner’s high is produced more readily than another activity such as swimming, basketball, football etc.

Exercise And The Brain

Improves mood, decreases anxiety, improves resilience during stressful times, and raises self esteem

Neurotrophic growth factors: induce growth, branching, and new connection

Antidepressant

First hand experiences “I would equate it to two Red Bulls and vodka, three ibuprofen, plus

a $50 winning Lotto ticket in your pocket.” “At first it feels like that mild head rush I associate with going

anaerobic, but instead of fading, it builds over the next 5-10 minutes.”

“Everything had a natural rhythm to it - my footsteps, the sound of the wind running past my ears...even the trees and hills around me seemed to flow together. It was a wonderful meditative state. Before I knew it, I was longing to run 8-10 miles every day to ‘break on through to the other side’ to find that familiar state. Hello, addiction!”

- Scott Dunlap, runtrails.blogspot.com

“It's the mystical feeling that you can run forever, without borders -- psychological or physical.”

- Anonymous, runtrails.blogspot.com

“ . . . the moment when I stop and catch my breath is like an orgasm.”

- Anonymous, runtrails.blogspot.com

Comparison to drugs Decreased activation in the “higher cognitive

centers of the prefrontal cortex”.

Endurance exercise impairs cognition that depends on the frontal lobe

No worries; literally– Neutralizing the hyper-vigilance

and hyper-awareness circuitry in the prefrontal cortex

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Comparison to Drugs

Motivation for exercising “Exercise addicts” Behavioral response to stress

– Similar to tobacco and alcohol– Mediates activity of allostatic systems

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The Endocannabinoid System

Anandamine = something similar to natural THC (marijuana). – CB1 receptor

Experiences– Relaxation– Regulated Mood– Increased appetite

All exercise is not created equal– Strategy sports vs. actions that are “automatic”

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Comparisons to Meditation

Timelessness Peacefulness Floating Unity with self and/or nature

Suppress pain & induce sedation Changing of brain waves (measured before

vs. after)

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References McEwen, B.S. Protective And Damaging Effects Of Stress Mediators. New England Journal of Medicine,

338, 171-179, 1998. Dietrich, A. Functional Neuroanatomy Of Altered States Of Consciousness: The Transient Hypofrontality

Hypothesis. Consciousness and Cognition, 12, 231-256, 2003. Sparling, P.B. Exercise activates the endocannabinoid system, Cognitive Neuroscience And

Neuropsychology, Vol 14, No 17, 2003. Schwartz, G.E. Pattern of Cognitive and Somatic Processes in the Self-Regulation of Anxiety: Effects of

Meditation versus Exercise, Psychosomatic Medicine, Vol 40, No 4, 1978. Dunlap, S. Understanding the Runner’s High, A Trail Runner’s Blog, Saturday, Janurary 08, 2005,

http://runtrails.blogspot.com/2005/01/understanding-runners-high.html. Dietrich, A, and W F McDaniel. "Endocannabinoids and exercise." bjsportmed (Apr.2002). 29 May 2007

<http://www.bjsportmed.com>. Miller, M.D., Michael Craig. "Exercise is a state of mind." Newsweek 20 Mar.2007. 29 May 2007

<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17662247/site/newsweek/page/0/>. Tiggemann, M. and Williamson, S. “The Effect of Exercise on Body Satisfaction and Self-Esteem as a

Function of Gender and Age.” Sex Roles July 2000. Vol. 43. Springer Netherlands. Wallace, B. and Fisher, L.E. Consciousness and Behavior, Waveland Press, IL, 2003.