When it comes to growing new brain cells and creating new healthy connections between our neurons, one molecule has been key to the conversation, bdnf (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). Now recent indicates BDNF levels may be most elevated in the context of one specific form of exercise. That exercise? Resistance training. This is all the more reason for us to prioritize weightlifting and resistance against body weight or bands as a key intervention for promoting brain health. If you’d like to

These may be the best exercises for BDNF in depression. If you are concerned about your mental health, please consider seeking professional care. Source: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/da/5716755 | Austin Perlmutter, MD

Regardless of whether someone uses talk therapy or pharmacology, or a combination of the two to achieve relief from depression, ultimately, any relief they experience is the consequence of neural plasticity (also called neuroplasticity), which is essentially changes in the function of neural circuits in the brain and/or body. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was discovered for its role in promoting the growth, survival, and neuroplasticity of neurons, although it has other roles as well.