Wendy Suzuki: The brain-changing benefits of exercise | TED

Translator: Alejandra Pazos Reviewer: Serv. de Norm. Lingüística U. de Santiago de Compostela

What if I told you there was something that you can do right now

E se vos dixera que hai algo que podedes facer agora mesmo

that would have an immediate, positive benefit for your brain

que tería un efecto positivo e inmediato no voso cerebro,

including your mood and your focus?

no voso humor e concentración?

And what if I told you that same thing could actually last a long time

E se vos dixera que pode durar moito tempo

and protect your brain from different conditions

e protexer o voso cerebro de varias enfermidades

like depression, Alzheimer's disease or dementia.

como a depresión, o alzhéimer ou a demencia?

Would you do it?

Fariádelo?

Yes!

Si!

I am talking about the powerful effects of physical activity.

Estou a falar dos poderosos efectos da actividade física.

Simply moving your body,

O simple feito de mover o corpo

has immediate, long-lasting and protective benefits for your brain.

ten efectos inmediatos, protectores e de longa duración no cerebro.

And that can last for the rest of your life.

E poden durar o resto da vosa vida.

So what I want to do today is tell you a story

Hoxe quero contarvos unha historia

about how I used my deep understanding of neuroscience,

sobre como empreguei os meus coñecementos de neurociencia,

as a professor of neuroscience,

como profesora de neurociencia,

to essentially do an experiment on myself

basicamente para facer un experimento comigo mesma

in which I discovered the science underlying

no que descubrín os fundamentos que explican

why exercise is the most transformative thing

por que o exercicio é o máis transformador

that you can do for your brain today.

que podedes facer hoxe polo voso cerebro.

Now, as a neuroscientist, I know that our brains,

Agora ben, como neurocientífica sei que o noso cerebro,

that is the thing in our head right now,

é dicir, o que hai dentro da nosa cabeza agora mesmo,

that is the most complex structure known to humankind.

é a estrutura máis complexa coñecida pola humanidade.

But it's one thing to talk about the brain,

Pero unha cousa é falar do cerebro

and it's another to see it.

e outra é velo.

So here is a real preserved human brain.

Aquí podedes ver un cerebro humano real conservado.

And it's going to illustrate two key areas that we are going to talk about today.

Mostra dúas áreas chave das que imos falar hoxe.

The first is the prefrontal cortex, right behind your forehead,

A primeira é o córtex prefrontal, xusto detrás da fronte,

critical for things like decision-making, focus, attention and your personality.

fundamental para a toma de decisións, concentración, atención ou personalidade.

The second key area is located in the temporal lobe, shown right here.

A segunda área chave atópase no lobo temporal, que vemos aquí.

You have two temporal lobes in your brain, the right and the left,

Tendes dous lobos temporais no cerebro, o dereito e o esquerdo,

and deep in the temporal lobe is a key structure

e no fondo do lobo temporal hai unha estrutura chave

critical for your ability

que é crucial para a capacidade

to form and retain new long-term memories for facts and events.

de formar e reter novos recordos a longo prazo sobre feitos e sucesos.

And that structure is called the hippocampus.

Esa estrutura chámase hipocampo.

So I've always been fascinated with the hippocampus.

O hipocampo sempre me cativou.

How could it be that an event that lasts just a moment,

Como pode ser que un suceso que dura só un intre,

say, your first kiss,

coma o primeiro bico

or the moment your first child was born,

ou o nacemento do primeiro fillo,

can form a memory that has changed your brain,

poida formar unha lembranza que cambie o cerebro

that lasts an entire lifetime?

para toda a vida?

That's what I want to understand.

Iso é o que quero entender.

I wanted to start and record the activity of individual brain cells

Quería rexistrar a actividade de neuronas individuais

in the hippocampus

no hipocampo

as subjects were forming new memories.

mentres os suxeitos formaban novos recordos.

And essentially try and decode how those brief bursts of electrical activity,

E tentar descifrar como eses estalidos de actividade eléctrica,

which is how neurons communicate with each other,

que é como as neuronas se comunican unhas con outras,

how those brief bursts either allowed us to form a new memory, or did not.

como eses estalidos ou ben nos permitían formar unha lembranza, ou non.

But a few years ago, I did something very unusual in science.

Pero hai uns anos fixen algo pouco habitual en ciencia.

As a full professor of neural science,

Como catedrática de neurociencia,

I decided to completely switch my research program.

decidín cambiar completamente o meu programa de investigación.

Because I encountered something that was so amazing,

Foi porque atopei algo tan incrible

with the potential to change so many lives

con potencial para mudar tantas vidas

that I had to study it.

que tiña que estudalo.

I discovered and I experienced the brain-changing effects of exercise.

Descubrín e experimentei cambios no cerebro debidos ao exercicio.

And I did it in a completely inadvertent way.

E fíxeno de xeito totalmente accidental.

I was actually at the height of all the memory work that I was doing --

A verdade é que estaba no cume do meu traballo sobre a memoria,

data was pouring in,

non paraba de xurdir información,

I was becoming known in my field for all of this memory work.

estaba facéndome coñecida no meu campo con todo este traballo da memoria.

And it should have been going great. It was, scientifically.

E tería que ir xenial. Cientificamente, ía xenial.

But when I stuck my head out of my lab door,

Pero cando asomei a cabeza fóra do meu laboratorio

I noticed something.

decateime de algo.

I had no social life.

Non tiña vida social.

I spent too much time listening to those brain cells

Pasaba demasiado tempo escoitando a esas neuronas

in a dark room, by myself.

nun cuarto escuro eu soa.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

I didn't move my body at all.

Non movía nada o corpo.

I had gained 25 pounds.

Gañara 10 quilos.

And actually, it took me many years to realize it,

E levoume moitos anos decatarme

I was actually miserable.

de que era moi infeliz.

And I shouldn't be miserable.

E non debería ser infeliz.

And I went on a river-rafting trip -- by myself, because I had no social life.

Fun soa a unha excursión de balsismo porque non tiña vida social.

And I came back --

E volvín

(Laughter)

(Risas)

thinking, "Oh, my God, I was the weakest person on that trip."

pensando: "mi madriña, a máis débil da excursión era eu".

And I came back with a mission.

E volvín cunha misión.

I said, "I'm never going to feel like the weakest person

Dixen: "nunca máis me vou sentir a persoa máis débil

on a river-rafting trip again."

nunha excursión de balsismo".

And that's what made me go to the gym.

E iso fíxome ir ao ximnasio.

And I focused my type-A personality

E centrei a miña personalidade de tipo A

on going to all the exercise classes at the gym.

en ir a tódalas clases de exercicio no ximnasio.

I tried everything.

Probei todo.

I went to kickbox, dance, yoga, step class,

Fun a kickboxing, baile, ioga, clases de step,

and at first it was really hard.

e o comezo foi moi duro.

But what I noticed is that after every sweat-inducing workout that I tried,

Pero decateime de que tras cada adestramento

I had this great mood boost and this great energy boost.

o meu estado de ánimo e enerxía melloraban moitísimo.

And that's what kept me going back to the gym.

E iso facíame seguir indo ao ximnasio.

Well, I started feeling stronger.

Comecei a me sentir máis forte.

I started feeling better, I even lost that 25 pounds.

Comecei a me sentir mellor e ata perdín eses 10 quilos.

And now, fast-forward a year and a half into this regular exercise program

Agora, despois dun ano e medio con este programa de exercicio,

and I noticed something that really made me sit up and take notice.

decateime de algo que me fixo erguerme e prestar atención.

I was sitting at my desk, writing a research grant,

Estaba redactando a solicitude dunhas axudas á investigación

and a thought went through my mind

e veume un pensamento á mente

that had never gone through my mind before.

que nunca me viñera antes.

And that thought was,

E ese pensamento era

"Gee, grant-writing is going well today."

"Que ben vai hoxe a redacción de solicitudes de axudas!"

And all the scientists --

E tódolos científicos...

(Laughter)

(Risas)

yeah, all the scientists always laugh when I say that,

Tódolos científicos se rin cando o digo

because grant-writing never goes well.

porque redactar de solicitudes nunca vai ben.

It is so hard; you're always pulling your hair out,

É tan difícil, que queres arrincar os pelos da cabeza

trying to come up with that million-dollar-winning idea.

tentando pensar nunha idea millonaria.

But I realized that the grant-writing was going well,

Pero deime conta de que as solicitudes ían ben

because I was able to focus and maintain my attention

porque era quen de concentrarme e manter a atención

for longer than I had before.

durante máis tempo que antes.

And my long-term memory -- what I was studying in my own lab --

E a miña memoria a longo prazo, o que estaba a estudar no meu laboratorio,

seemed to be better in me.

parecía funcionarme mellor.

And that's when I put it together.

Entón atei cabos.

Maybe all that exercise that I had included and added to my life

Se cadra todo o exercicio que lle engadira á miña vida

was changing my brain.

cambiara o meu cerebro.

Maybe I did an experiment on myself without even knowing it.

Se cadra fixera un experimento comigo sen sequera me decatar.

So as a curious neuroscientist,

Como boa neurocientífica curiosa,

I went to the literature to see what I could find about what we knew

fun á bibliografía a ver que atopaba sobre o que se sabía

about the effects of exercise on the brain.

dos efectos do exercicio no cerebro.

And what I found was an exciting and a growing literature

E atopei un incrible e crecente número de fontes

that was essentially showing everything that I noticed in myself.

que ilustraban todo o que eu notara en min mesma.

Better mood, better energy, better memory, better attention.

Mellor humor, enerxía, memoria e atención.

And the more I learned,

E canto máis aprendía,

the more I realized how powerful exercise was.

máis me decataba do poderoso que era o exercicio.

Which eventually led me to the big decision

Isto acaboume levando á gran decisión

to completely shift my research focus.

de mudar completamente o enfoque da miña investigación.

And so now, after several years of really focusing on this question,

E agora, varios anos despois de centrarme nesta cuestión,

I've come to the following conclusion:

cheguei á seguinte conclusión:

that exercise is the most transformative thing

o exercicio é o máis transformador

that you can do for your brain today

que podedes facer hoxe polo voso cerebro

for the following three reasons.

polas tres razóns seguintes.

Number one: it has immediate effects on your brain.

Número un: ten efectos inmediatos no voso cerebro.

A single workout that you do

Adestrar unha soa vez

will immediately increase levels of neurotransmitters

aumentará inmediatamente os niveis de neurotransmisores

like dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline.

como dopamina, serotonina e noradrenalina.

That is going to increase your mood right after that workout,

Iso mellorará o voso humor xusto ao rematar o adestramento,

exactly what I was feeling.

exactamente o que eu sentía.

My lab showed that a single workout

O meu laboratorio amosou que un só adestramento

can improve your ability to shift and focus attention,

pode mellorar a vosa capacidade para desprazar e centrar a atención,

and that focus improvement will last for at least two hours.

e esa mellora na concentración durará polo menos dúas horas.

And finally, studies have shown

Finalmente, os estudos amosan

that a single workout will improve your reaction times

que un só adestramento mellorará a vosa velocidade de reacción,

which basically means

o que significa

that you are going to be faster at catching that cup of Starbucks

que ides ser máis rápidos collendo a cunca de Starbucks

that falls off the counter,

que está a caer da barra,

which is very, very important.

e iso é importantísimo.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

But these immediate effects are transient, they help you right after.

Pero estes efectos inmediatos son transitorios, axudan no momento.

What you have to do is do what I did,

Tendes que facer o que fixen eu,

that is change your exercise regime, increase your cardiorespiratory function,

cambiar o voso plan de exercicio, aumentar a función cardiorrespiratoria

to get the long-lasting effects.

para obter os efectos de longa duración.

And these effects are long-lasting

Estes efectos son de longa duración

because exercise actually changes the brain's anatomy,

porque o exercicio cambia de verdade a anatomía do cerebro,

physiology and function.

a súa fisioloxía e a súa función.

Let's start with my favorite brain area, the hippocampus.

Comecemos coa miña área favorita do cerebro, o hipocampo.

The hippocampus --

O hipocampo,

or exercise actually produces brand new brain cells,

ou máis ben o exercicio, crea novas neuronas,

new brain cells in the hippocampus, that actually increase its volume,

novas neuronas que aumentan o seu volume

as well as improve your long-term memory, OK?

ao tempo que melloran a memoria a longo prazo,

And that including in you and me.

a vosa e máis a miña.

Number two: the most common finding in neuroscience studies,

Número dous: a descuberta máis común nos estudos de neurociencia

looking at effects of long-term exercise,

sobre os efectos do exercicio a longo prazo

is improved attention function dependent on your prefrontal cortex.

é a mellora na función de atención que depende do córtex prefrontal.

You not only get better focus and attention,

Non só obtedes mellor concentración e atención

but the volume of the hippocampus increases as well.

senón que o volume do hipocampo tamén aumenta.

And finally, you not only get immediate effects of mood with exercise

E finalmente, non só obtedes efectos inmediatos no humor co exercicio,

but those last for a long time.

senón que duran moito máis.

So you get long-lasting increases in those good mood neurotransmitters.

Obtedes incrementos de longa duración neses neurotransmisores do bo humor.

But really, the most transformative thing that exercise will do

Pero, en realidade, o máis transformador do exercicio

is its protective effects on your brain.

é o seu efecto protector do cerebro.

Here you can think about the brain like a muscle.

Podedes pensar no cerebro coma nun músculo.

The more you're working out,

Canto máis adestredes,

the bigger and stronger your hippocampus and prefrontal cortex gets.

máis grandes e fortes se volven o hipocampo e o córtex prefrontal.

Why is that important?

Por que é importante?

Because the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus

Porque o córtex prefrontal e o hipocampo

are the two areas that are most susceptible to neurodegenerative diseases

son as dúas áreas máis susceptíbeis ante as enfermidades neurodexenerativas

and normal cognitive decline in aging.

e a deterioración cognitiva normal da idade.

So with increased exercise over your lifetime,

Así que con máis exercicio ao longo da vosa vida

you're not going to cure dementia or Alzheimer's disease,

non ides curar a demencia ou o alzhéimer,

but what you're going to do is you're going to create

pero si ides facer

the strongest, biggest hippocampus and prefrontal cortex

o hipocampo e o córtex prefrontal máis grandes e fortes

so it takes longer for these diseases to actually have an effect.

polo que a estas enfermidades lles levará máis tempo facer efecto.

You can think of exercise, therefore,

Entón, podedes pensar no exercicio

as a supercharged 401K for your brain, OK?

coma nun superplan de pensións para o voso cerebro.

And it's even better, because it's free.

E é aínda mellor, porque é de balde.

So this is the point in the talk where everybody says,

Este é o momento da conferencia en que todo o mundo di:

"That sounds so interesting, Wendy,

"Que interesante, Wendy,

but I really will only want to know one thing.

pero só me importa unha cousa.

And that is, just tell me the minimum amount of exercise

Só quero que me digas a cantidade mínima de exercicio

I need to get all these changes."

que preciso para obter estes cambios."

(Laughter)

(Risas)

And so I'm going to tell you the answer to that question.

Así que vou responder a esa pregunta.

First, good news: you don't have to become a triathlete to get these effects.

Boas novas: non hai que ser triatleta para obter estes efectos.

The rule of thumb is you want to get three to four times a week exercise

Como regra xeral, hai que adestrar tres ou catro veces á semana

minimum 30 minutes an exercise session,

durante un mínimo de 30 minutos por sesión

and you want to get aerobic exercise in.

e hai que facer exercicio aeróbico.

That is, get your heart rate up.

É dicir, acelerar o ritmo cardíaco.

And the good news is, you don't have to go to the gym

E a boa nova é que non precisades ir ao ximnasio

to get a very expensive gym membership.

e pagar unha cota carísima.

Add an extra walk around the block in your power walk.

Engadídelle unha volta máis á vosa camiñada.

You see stairs -- take stairs.

Se vedes escaleiras, subídeas.

And power-vacuuming can be as good as the aerobics class

Pasar a aspiradora a bo ritmo pode ser tan bo coma a clase de aeróbic

that you were going to take at the gym.

á que queriades ir no ximnasio.

So I've gone from memory pioneer

Pasei de pioneira da memoria

to exercise explorer.

a exploradora do exercicio.

From going into the innermost workings of the brain,

Pasei do funcionamento máis recóndito do cerebro

to trying to understand how exercise can improve our brain function,

a tentar entender como o exercicio pode mellorar o funcionamento do cerebro

and my goal in my lab right now

e o meu obxectivo no meu laboratorio agora mesmo

is to go beyond that rule of thumb that I just gave you --

é ir máis alá da regra xeral da que falei

three to four times a week, 30 minutes.

--3 ou 4 veces á semana, 30 minutos--.

I want to understand the optimum exercise prescription

Quero entender a cantidade óptima de exercicio

for you, at your age, at your fitness level,

para vós, á vosa idade, coa vosa condición física

for your genetic background,

e cos vosos antecedentes xenéticos,

to maximize the effects of exercise today

para maximizar os efectos do exercicio hoxe

and also to improve your brain and protect your brain the best

e tamén para mellorar o cerebro e protexelo o mellor posible

for the rest of your life.

durante o resto da vosa vida.

But it's one thing to talk about exercise, and it's another to do it.

Pero unha cousa é falar de exercicio e outra é facelo.

So I'm going to invoke my power as a certified exercise instructor,

Vou empregar o meu poder como instrutora de exercicio cualificada

to ask you all to stand up.

para pedirvos que vos levantedes.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

We're going to do just one minute of exercise.

Imos facer un só minuto de exercicio.

It's call-and-response, just do what I do, say what I say,

Facede o que eu faga e dicide o que eu diga

and make sure you don't punch your neighbor, OK?

e tende coidado de non lle pegar ao veciño.

Music!

Música!

(Upbeat music)

(Música animada)

Five, six, seven, eight, it's right, left, right, left.

Cinco, seis, sete, oito, dereita, esquerda, dereita, esquerda.

And I say, I am strong now.

E digo: agora son forte.

Let's hear you.

Agora vós.

Audience: I am strong now.

Público: agora son forte.

Wendy Suzuki: Ladies, I am Wonder Woman-strong.

Wendy Suzuki: mozas, son forte coma a Muller Marabilla.

Let's hear you!

Agora vós.

Audience: I am Wonder Woman-strong.

Público: son forte coma a Muller Marabilla.

WS: New move -- uppercut, right and left.

WS: movemento novo, gancho, dereita e esquerda.

I am inspired now. You say it!

Agora estoume motivando. Tócavos!

Audience: I am inspired now.

Público: agora estoume motivando.

WS: Last move -- pull it down, right and left, right and left.

WS: último movemento, cara a abaixo, dereita e esquerda, dereita e esquerda.

I say, I am on fire now! You say it.

Estou que me saio! Agora vós.

Audience: I am on fire now.

Público: estou que me saio.

WS: And done! OK, good job!

WS: Xa está! Ben feito!

(Applause)

(Aplauso)

Thank you.

Grazas.

I want to leave you with one last thought.

Vouvos deixar cunha última idea.

And that is, bringing exercise in your life

Incluír o exercicio na vosa vida

will not only give you a happier, more protective life today,

non só vos protexerá e vos fará máis felices hoxe

but it will protect your brain from incurable diseases.

senón que tamén protexerá o voso cerebro de enfermidades incurables.

And in this way it will change the trajectory of your life

E dese xeito mudará a traxectoria da vosa vida

for the better.

para mellor.

Thank you very much.

Moitas grazas.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

Thank you.

Grazas.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)