What does science tell us about being an Olympic athlete? The answer depends on which Johns Hopkins Medicine scientist you ask.For interviews with the experts on these topics, contact Alexandria Carolan ([email protected]) or Vanessa Wasta ([email protected]).

Mind Over Matter: Motivation and Performance
Olympians are motivated to win and perform well. But what drives that motivation? How do we get people to perform better? Scientist Vikram Chib, Ph.D., studies incentives, rewards and behavior, and the brain activity that drives and enhances achievement. Watch this clip. In addition, Chib can comment on these facets of performance:

• Why do some people choke under pressure? Chib can tell you why, where it happens in the brain and how to stay cool under pressure.

• Why do some people find physical effort easier than others? What contributes to individuals’ feelings of fatigue when performing grueling physical competitions? The answer is related to levels of dopamine, the “feel-good” hormone.

How do athletes come to excel in their sport? Is it genetic? Is it practice, or random? Could it relate to early life experience?

Neuroscientist David Linden, Ph.D., can answer these questions.

What causes runner’s high? The cathartic, post-run feeling can be attributed to endocannabinoids — biochemical substances similar to the active ingredient of cannabis (THC) but naturally produced by the body. Linden can tell you how this process occurs.

Powering Performance: The Role of Mitochondria
The cell’s powerhouse, mitochondria, drives energy production. Is it true that advanced athletes have more mitochondria in their muscles than the rest of the population? Hilary Vernon, M.D., Ph.D., an expert on metabolic disorders, says the answer is yes, and studies have shown the bean-shaped mitochondria of experienced athletes, or those who participate in prolonged, repeated exercise, have different structures: They develop more folds on the inner membrane.

Maintaining mitochondria isn’t important only for professional athletes. In people who have Barth syndrome, a metabolic condition that causes heart disease, fatigue and muscle loss, experts recommend physical therapy and activity to keep muscles healthy. Diet and nutrition are also critical for the muscles’ mitochondria to produce the energy needed to stay healthy — or to set the next pole-vaulting record. Read more.

“Mitochondria are like batteries. In people with mitochondrial disorders, these batteries start off at a lower capacity, which can be compared to batteries at lower charge, operating a flashlight at a dim level. Our goal is to get these batteries working at full charge through physical activity and other interventions,” says Vernon. “In Olympic athletes, the ‘mitochondrial batteries’ could power a floodlight. Maintaining that requires rigorous training and prolonged physical activity.” 

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