Exercise activates the endocannabinoid systemSparling, P. B.; Giuffrida, A.1; Piomelli, D.1; Rosskopf, L.; Dietrich, A.CA ,2NeuroReport: December 2nd, 2003 - Volume 14 - Issue 17 - p 2209-2211 COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROPSYCHOLOGY Abstract Author InformationAuthors Extensive documentation exists showing that exercise induces analgesia and sedation. Despite decades of research attempting to explicate a neurochemical basis for these phenomena, the mechanism underlying these changes is unknown. Using trained male college students running on a treadmill or cycling on a stationary bike for 50 min at 70–80% of maximum heart rate, we report here the first evidence that exercise of moderate intensity activates the endocannabinoid system, suggesting a new mechanism for exercise-induced analgesia and possibly other physiological and psychological adaptations to exercise. School of Applied Physiology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332 1Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 2Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Georgia College and State University, Milledgeville, GA 31061, USA Received 1 August 2003; accepted 1 September 2003 CACorresponding Author: arne.dietrich@gcsu.edu © 2003 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.
