Alzheimer's disease : How does exercise help?

The benefits of exercise are well known. Now a study has shown how exactly physical exercise can help cognition in those with Alzheimer's.

A study by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) found that neurogenesis inducing the production of new neurons in the brain structure in which memories are encoded can improve cognitive function in a mouse model of Alzheimer s disease. According to a press release by MGH physical exercise can clean up the environment, allowing new nerve cells to survive and thrive and improving your cognition. Alzheimer s is a brain disorder that hampers memory and thinking skills over time in older adults. There is presently no cure for the condition, though treatment options are available.

The author of the study, Rudolph Tanzi, PhD, director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit, vice-chair of the Department of Neurology and co-director of the Henry and Alison McCance Center for Brain Health at MGH said that his team observed that exercise was one of the best ways to turn on neurogenesis.

The release explains what adult neurogenesis is: It is the production of new neurons occurring after the embryonic and, in some animals, neonatal periods. It takes place in the hippocampus and another brain structure called the striatum. While adult hippocampal neurogenesis is essential to learning and memory, how the process impacts neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer s disease has not been well understood. The MGH team set out to investigate how impairment of adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) contributed to Alzheimer s disease pathology and cognitive function in a mouse and whether increasing AHN could reduce symptoms, said the release.

Lead author, Se Hoon Choi, Ph.D., of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit said that exercise turned on the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor or BDNF known to be important for the growth and survival of neurons which created a more hospitable brain environment for the new neurons to survive.

According to Tanzi, it is not enough just to turn on the birth of new nerve cells. Simultaneous clean up of the neighborhood in which they are being born is required to make sure the new cells survive and thrive, which is something exercise can achieve.'

With inputs from Massachusetts General Hospital press release