Moderate Cycling Raises Endocannabinoid AEA, While All Exercise Types Lower Anxiety

Researchers led by John Leri at the Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin, together with colleagues from the same institution and The University of Alabama, examined how different exercise modalities affect mood, circulating exerkines, and short-term memory. Eighty-eight young adults were randomly assigned to either an aerobic group (moderate-intensity or low-intensity cycling) or a mind-body group (yoga or basic stretching). Each participant completed two 30-minute sessions separated by one week, with blood draws and affect ratings taken before and immediately after each session.

Psypost

Blood analyses revealed that only the moderate-intensity cycling session produced a measurable increase in the endocannabinoid anandamide (AEA). Neither low-intensity cycling, yoga, nor stretching altered AEA, and none of the conditions changed 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) or brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Despite the divergent biochemical responses, all four activities significantly reduced state anxiety and negative affect. Positive affect rose after moderate cycling, yoga, and stretching, but not after low-intensity cycling. Increases in AEA correlated with larger boosts in positive emotional states, yet neither endocannabinoid nor BDNF levels predicted performance on a contextual memory test administered shortly after exercise.

Psypost

The study underscores that even low-impact movement can alleviate acute anxiety, while moderate aerobic effort uniquely elevates AEA—a molecule that binds the same receptors as cannabis and is linked to mood regulation. The absence of immediate BDNF spikes challenges prior reports that moderate workouts raise this neurotrophic protein, suggesting that duration or intensity thresholds may be critical. Because baseline exerkine levels are often altered in psychiatric conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder, these findings highlight exercise as a potential adjunctive strategy for mood stabilization.

Psypost

Authors note that the brief interval between learning and memory testing may have obscured any consolidation benefits of exerkine surges. They recommend testing longer or more strenuous yoga sequences, extending exercise duration, and including older adults and clinical populations to refine movement prescriptions for mental-health outcomes. The full study, “Contributions of yoga and aerobic exercise to acute changes in state affect, circulating BDNF and eCB concentrations, and memory,” lists John Leri, Kevin M. Crombie, Luna Malloy, Lily Wang, Paige Broski, and Josh M. Cisler as authors.

Psypost