ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to encapsulate the material on exercise-induced neuroendocrine responses and to relate these neuroendocrine responses as possible mechanisms to changes in mood. It examines exercise in terms of an acute response, which may occur during or immediately following exercise, and includes chronic exercise exposure as well. Studies in normal humans in which psychological status is measured before and after the injection of catecholamines are needed to clarify the psychological role of catecholamines. Dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine are collectively classified as the catecholamines. Acute changes in brain catecholamine, serotonin, and endogenous opioids have all been shown to alter psychological status or have a possible analgesic effect. The endogenous opioids are a class of peptides that mainly includes beta-endorphin, dynorphin, leuenkephalin, and metenkephalin. Most of the studies attempting to determine a psychological role for endorphins during exercise used the opiate antagonist naloxone or naltrexone.
