SynthesisThe Neuroscientist : a review journal bringing neurobiology, neurology and psychiatry2023
Do Endocannabinoids Cause the Runner's High? Evidence and Open Questions.
Synthesis in The Neuroscientist : a review journal bringing neurobiology, neurology and psychiatry, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 35 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of resistance training on quality of life, fatigue, and pain in patients undergoing cancer treatment: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.Brazilian journal of physical therapyPooled it
- Low-intensity exercise reduces negative affect via circulating endocannabinoid dynamics in healthy young adults.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Trial
- Contributions of yoga and aerobic exercise to acute changes in state affect, circulating BDNF and eCB concentrations, and memory.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2026Trial
- Effects of 4-Week Treadmill Running at Different Intensities on Exercise-Induced Hypoalgesia and Endogenous Pain Modulation in Healthy Individuals.Pain research & management · 2026Trial
- Endocannabinoid dynamics across marathon and ultramarathon running: evidence from two field studies.BMC medicine · 2026Article
- The Neurochemical Orchestra of the Runner's High: A Narrative Review of Neuromodulatory Mechanisms with a Focus on Endocannabinoids.The Neuroscientist : a review journal bringing neurobiology, neurology and psychiatry · 2026Review
- Gene-Physical Activity Interplay in Depression: Candidate-Gene Interactions, Polygenic Susceptibility, Lifestyle Context, and Mendelian Randomization Evidence-Systematic Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Training Load Oscillation and Epigenetic Plasticity: Molecular Pathways Connecting Energy Metabolism and Athletic Personality.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Feasibility and acceptability of a physical activity intervention to reduce prenatal cannabis use: results of an open pilot trial.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Four sources of pleasure associated with the experience of groove.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Physical activity and improvement of physiological parameters by training.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Review
- Exercise-induced anandamide-CB1R signaling and prefrontal-amygdala stress circuits in adolescent depression: a critical hypothesis-driven narrative review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Review
- Endocannabinoid system and mood responses to acute aerobic exercise in adult cancer patients versus healthy controls: a pilot study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Article
- Pain for pain: the benefits and challenges of BDSM participation for people with chronic pain - An exploratory study.Psychology and sexuality · 2025Article
- Augmentation of Endogenous 2-Arachidonoylglycerol Mitigates Autistic Behaviors of BTBR Mice.Molecular neurobiology · 2025Article
- A comprehensive review on the impact of polyphenol supplementation and exercise on depression and brain function parameters.Behavioral and brain functions : BBF · 2025Review
- Global consensus on optimal exercise recommendations for enhancing healthy longevity in older adults (ICFSR).The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2025Review
- Psychological Assessment and Intervention at the Boston Marathon.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2024Review
- Investigating endocannabinoid system and subjective responses to exercise in cancer patients: Rationale and future research directions.JSAMS plus · 2024Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The runner's high is an ephemeral feeling some humans experience during and after endurance exercise. Recent evidence in mice suggests that a runner's high depends on the release of endocannabinoids (eCBs) during exercise. However, little is known under what circumstances eCBs are released during exercise in humans. This systematic review sampled all data from clinical trials in humans on eCB levels following exercise from the discovery of eCBs until April 20, 2021. PubMed/NCBI, Ovid MEDLINE, and Cochrane library were searched systematically and reviewed following the PRISMA guidelines. From 278 records, 21 met the inclusion criteria. After acute exercise, 14 of 17 studies detected an increase in eCBs. In contrast, after a period of long-term endurance exercise, four articles described a decrease in eCBs. Even though several studies demonstrated an association between eCB levels and features of the runner's high, reliable proof of the involvement of eCBs in the runner's high in humans has not yet been achieved due to methodological hurdles. In this review, we suggest how to advance the study of the influence of eCBs on the beneficial effects of exercise and provide recommendations on how endocannabinoid release is most likely to occur under laboratory conditions.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.