Why is it not the extraordinary body that shapes the Olympic champion, but the brain?

What is the genetic basis for an athlete's outstanding athletic ability? Scientists have been exploring this for decades. At present, most of their attention is focused on genes related to physical fitness, such as muscle function and blood oxygen metabolism.

However, some geneticists have also begun to study the neurological underpinnings behind motor specialties. Recently, scientists have discovered that dopamine, a neurotransmitter that produces pleasant sensations, is involved. Since dopamine is also involved in many other functions of the brain, such as regulating stress, tolerating pain, etc., it can be argued that the new study supports the idea that it is the brain, not the body, that shapes the most outstanding athletes.

To find out what makes a great athlete, researchers at the University of Parma in Italy extracted the DNA of 50 outstanding athletes (athletes who have won gold medals at the Olympics or other international competitions) and 100 amateur athletes (athletes who regularly play sports but do not compete professionally).。Next, they compared four genes associated with athletic performance in the two groups of athletes, which are related to muscle growth, dopamine transport in the brain, regulation of serotonin levels in the brain, and neurotransmitter degradation.

The researchers found significant differences in only one gene in the genetic alignment of the two groups of athletesThis dopamine-activating vector (DAT) gene is more common in high-level athletes than in amateur athletes. The occurrence rate of a mutant of this gene is about 5 times higher in high-level athletes than in amateur athletes (24% of high-level athletes have this gene, compared to only 5% of amateur athletes). The results have been published in the Journal of Biological Sciences.

John Salamon, a professor of psychology at the University of Connecticut, said that based on previous research on neurotransmitters, especially DAT, there is some truth to the idea that "dopamine plays an important role in regulating athletes' abilities." "Studies in animals have shown that the DAT gene is associated with muscle vitality, energy expenditure, and reward-seeking behavior. "So, it seems reasonable to think that the DAT gene is related to an athlete's ability."

> similar, two 2012 studies found that genes related to dopamine can increase risk-taking levels in skiers and snowboarders. Cynthia Thompson, who led the study, said risk-taking played a huge role in an athlete's journey to gold medals. "You have to take risks in order to get a medal, whether it's trying a higher difficulty to get a higher score or reaching the edge of losing control to get faster.

She said," she saidOur results show that dopamine pathways in the brain can influence a person's propensity to take risks, and taking this risk can make them more likely to reach an outstanding level in competition. ”

Still, a lot of research needs to be done to verify the relationship between dopamine and athletes' ability to determine if they have a causal relationship.

Because it's not easy to create an Olympic champion.

Because maybe the Olympic champion is very smart.

Because the brain determines what kind of body it will have.

The main thing is that the Olympic champion has a strong sense of self-discipline.

Because it is necessary to have a reasonable plan, which can develop potential without harming the body.

Because the champion's brain thinks about training hard every day.

Brute training without brains is useless.

Because it's not just physical strength, it's also about extraordinary intelligence.

Because this is more of an ideological guide.

Only scientific training techniques can be balanced.