The Science Behind Exercise as a Brain Enhancer ⋆ AI of the week ⋆ Seeing fishbowl while you're in it

My week's interest: AI, AI, AI, AI, AI...

This is why I have a hard time keeping this newsletter with a healthy variety of topics. And it's not just because I've had a (healthy?) obsession with it since before I've written my first artificial neural networks in C++. Ok, Z, we get it, you're a geek...

Did you notice how we're not longer separate things or businesses as Internet/Web or not? We just assume a local business is present on Google Maps, or that something else has a web presence.

We're not quite there yet with AI.

AI is starting to touch every aspect of everything around you. You just might not notice it yet.

Every topic I come across is getting affected by it, will be affected by it soon, or is a result of the cold war over AI.

Not sure how this will affect the content of this newsletter. Let me know your thoughts by replying to this (or any other) email.

Thing 1 - The Science Behind Exercise as a Brain Enhancer

When you engage in intense physical activity, your brain undergoes rapid biochemical changes that can transform your mental state. A study published in The Journal of Neuroscience found that vigorous exercise significantly increases two key neurotransmitters: glutamate and GABA.

🔹 Glutamate is the brain's primary excitatory neurotransmitter, responsible for learning, memory, and motivation. Low levels are linked to cognitive decline and depression.
🔹 GABA is the brain's main inhibitory neurotransmitter, acting as a natural "off switch" for stress, anxiety, and overthinking. It promotes calm, focus, and mental clarity.

How Exercise Hacks Your Brain

The study focused on high-intensity activities that elevate heart rate to about 80% of its maximum. These included:

• Sprinting – short bursts of maximum effort running.
• Cycling – high-speed intervals on a stationary or road bike.
• Rowing – vigorous rowing at full effort.
• Jump rope – intense jumping for short, sustained intervals.
• HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) – short, explosive bodyweight or weighted movements like burpees, kettlebell swings, and box jumps.

The study used magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to measure neurotransmitter levels before and after exercise. Researchers found that just 20 minutes of high-intensity exercise caused a significant spike in both glutamate and GABA, particularly in the visual cortex and anterior cingulate cortex—regions tied to perception, decision-making, and emotional regulation.

This means:
✅ More energy and drive
✅ Sharper focus and cognition
✅ Faster learning and memory recall
✅ Immediate relief from stress and anxiety

The Bigger Picture

Most mental disorders—depression, anxiety, even cognitive decline—are associated with low glutamate and GABA activity. Exercise restores balance, potentially offering a drug-free way to improve mood, mental performance, and resilience.

Move.

Hard. Fast. Often.

Your brain will thank you.

Thing 2 - AI of the week

• OpenAI launched Deep Research - An agent that uses reasoning to synthesize large amounts of online information and complete multi-step research tasks for you
• Physical Intelligence released π₀ and π₀-FAST - general-purpose robotic foundation model that could be fine-tuned to a diverse range of tasks (folding laundry, cleaning a table, scooping coffee beans, etc)
• Hugging Face's AI App Directory is live!
• Mistral released iOS and Android apps for their models
• New open source music generation model
• OpenAI launched Operator, an AI agent that can automate online tasks

Thing 3 - You Can't See the Fishbowl While You're in It

You can't see your own culture while you're inside of it.
Once you get out and look back, you can see which parts of your personality actually come from your environment.

- Derek Sivers

Moving to a new continent and starting a new life (from scratch almost) was eye opening in many ways. I've read everything I could find about the culture, the economy etc before moving - but the difference between reading and experiencing is night and day.

There is not replacement for first-hand experience in these things. You just have to leave for an extended period of time and see how you'll settle in a new place.

Your habits will be questioned, your attention to the environment heightened.

And you'll grow.

Cheers, Zvonimir