{"id":196412,"date":"2025-06-19T06:11:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T06:11:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/196412\/"},"modified":"2025-06-19T06:11:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T06:11:13","slug":"how-does-exercise-protect-the-brain-as-people-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/196412\/","title":{"rendered":"How does exercise protect the brain as people age?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Activity-Brain-Stocksy_txpdfe9a8d1Yd8400_Medium_2918681-Header-1024x575.jpg\" alt=\"An older adult runs up stairs outside in running gear\" class=\"css-1jytyml\"\/><a class=\"icon-hl-pinterest css-11oz8gb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" data-event=\"Any Page|Image Pinterest Click|Icon Clicked\" data-element-event=\"OPEN|CONTENTBLOCK|Any Page|Article Body|BUTTON|Image Widget Pinterest Click|\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.medicalnewstoday.com%2Farticles%2Fstudy-how-exercise-protects-brain-alzheimers-disease-aging&amp;media=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.post.rvohealth.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F3%2F2025%2F06%2FActivity-Brain-Stocksy_txpdfe9a8d1Yd8400_Medium_2918681-Header-1024x575.jpg&amp;description=Alzheimer&#039;s%3A%20How%20does%20exercise%20protect%20the%20brain%20as%20people%20age%3F\" title=\"Share on Pinterest\" data-pin-custom=\"true\" data-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Activity-Brain-Stocksy_txpdfe9a8d1Yd8400_Medium_2918681-Header-1024x575.jpg\">Share on Pinterest<\/a>A new study aims to explain exercise\u2019s protective effect on the brain from neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer\u2019s. Guille eFaingold\/Stocksy<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Past studies show that certain lifestyle changes \u2014 such as getting more physical activity \u2014 may help lower a person\u2019s risk for Alzheimer\u2019s disease or slow its progression. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>A new study sheds light on how physical activity helps protect the brain from Alzheimer\u2019s disease on a cellular level.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Scientists believe these findings may one day lead to new prevention and treatment strategies for Alzheimer\u2019s disease. <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While there is currently no cure for Alzheimer\u2019s disease, past studies show that certain lifestyle changes may help decrease a person\u2019s risk for the disease or slow down its progression. <\/p>\n<p>One of these main lifestyle changes is <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC7498620\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">physical activity<\/a>. A study published in April 2025 reported that increasing physical activity in <a href=\"https:\/\/alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1002\/alz.70007\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">middle age<\/a> may help protect the brain from Alzheimer\u2019s disease. A study published in May 2025 says older adults who <a href=\"https:\/\/alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1002\/alz.70157\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">sit less<\/a> may lower their risk for the condition. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Now, a new study recently published in the journal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41593-025-01971-w\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">Nature Neuroscience<\/a> sheds light on how physical activity helps protect the brain from Alzheimer\u2019s disease on a cellular level. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Scientists believe these findings may one day lead to new prevention and treatment strategies for Alzheimer\u2019s disease. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSingle-nuclei RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) is a technique that allows (us to) analyze gene activity by examining the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK558999\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">RNA<\/a> inside on a cell by cell level, giving us precise information about the activation state of each and every single cell in the tissue examined,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/cvrc.massgeneral.org\/christiane-wrann-dvm-phd\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">Christiane D. Wrann, DVM, PhD<\/a>, a neuroscientist and leader of the Program in Neuroprotection in Exercise at the Mass General Brigham Heart and Vascular Institute and the McCance Center for Brain Health at Massachusetts General Hospital, and senior author of this study, explained to Medical News Today. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe used this sophisticated technology to examine how exercise reshapes [the] brain in an important region in the brain of mouse models for Alzheimer\u2019s disease,\u201d Wrann added. <\/p>\n<p>Scientists focused on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/313295\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">hippocampus<\/a> of the brain, which is responsible for making new memories and keeping old ones, as well as processing emotions and learning new information. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Using a mouse model of Alzheimer\u2019s disease \u2014 that were later verified in human Alzheimer\u2019s disease brain tissue samples \u2014 researchers found that exercise changed activity in the hippocampus\u2019 immune cells called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41392-023-01588-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">microglia<\/a>, as well as a specific type of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41380-025-02993-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">neurovascular-associated astrocyte (NVA)<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>NVAs are cells associated with the brain\u2019s blood vessels that help make sure the brain receives enough oxygen and is an important part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK519556\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">blood-brain barrier<\/a>. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow css-34gtoi\">\n<p>\u201c[Our findings mean] that exercise can remodel these important cell types on the transcriptional\/gene expression level, which likely increases their neuroprotective properties. \u201cIt [is] one example, how on the molecular level exercise can improve brain cells in Alzheimer\u2019s disease, hopefully rendering them more functionally.\u201d <br \/>\u2014 Christiane D. Wrann, DVM, PhD<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Additionally, Wrann and her team pinpointed a metabolic gene called <a href=\"https:\/\/cellandbioscience.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s13578-020-00514-z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">ATPIF1<\/a> as an important regulator to create new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/320289\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">neurons<\/a> in the brain.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cATPIF1 is a mitochondrial protein that regulates cellular energy production AKA \u2014 a gene that regulates energy metabolism,\u201d Wrann detailed. \u201cResearch has shown that stimulating neurogenesis can protect against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK559052\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">cognitive decline<\/a> in aging or Alzheimer\u2019s disease. In our study, we show that ATPIF1 is an important regulator of neurogenesis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExercise is important for your brain health \u2014 please keep exercising to protect your brain,\u201d she continued. \u201cAlzheimer\u2019s disease is incurable at the moment. There are smart and dedicated scientists working on finding innovative treatment options.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis work not only sheds light on how exercise benefits the brain but also uncovers potential cell-specific targets for future Alzheimer\u2019s therapies,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.upstate.edu\/pharm\/faculty.php?empID=tuckern\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">Nathan Tucker, PhD<\/a>, a biostatistician at SUNY Upstate Medical University and co-senior of the study said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurekalert.org\/news-releases\/1086971\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">press release<\/a>. \u201cOur study offers a valuable resource for the scientific community investigating Alzheimer\u2019s prevention and treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>MNT also had the opportunity to speak with <a href=\"https:\/\/doctors.hackensackmeridianhealth.org\/provider\/gary-small\/1835313\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">Gary Small, MD<\/a>, chair of psychiatry at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, about this study. <\/p>\n<p>Small commented that this study\u2019s findings are consistent with the well-documented link between physical activity and brain health, including its role in reducing the risk of Alzheimer\u2019s and of slowing its progression in people who already suffer from the disease. <\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cWhile the basic conclusion that exercise is important to brain health is not new, these new findings showing the impact of physical activity on key brain cells such as microglia and neurovascular-associated astrocytes provide a more nuanced and deeper understanding why the brain responds to exercise,\u201d he explained. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAstrocytes and microglia play a crucial role in both initiating and regulating the inflammatory response. Thus, these results further elucidate the link between heightened brain inflammation and cognitive decline,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow css-34gtoi\">\n<p>\u201cBrain health has a strong influence on our quality of life. Cognitive decline affects not just the physical and behavioral health of the patient, but also has an impact on their caregivers and all who care about the person. The bottom line is that dementia and Alzheimer\u2019s disease are not inevitable parts of aging. We can take steps to reduce the risk through lifestyle habits. And even for those who develop the disease, making changes in diet, physical activity, and stress management can slow the progression and extend the time when a person can enjoy a fulfilling quality of life.\u201d <br \/>\u2014 Gary Small, MD<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThe more we understand how cognitive decline occurs, and what can change the course of its development and progression, the more opportunities there are to find ways to treat it,\u201d Small added. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Share on PinterestA new study aims to explain exercise\u2019s protective effect on the brain from neurodegenerative diseases like&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":196413,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4322],"tags":[1630,105,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-196412","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-fitness","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114708552997592309","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=196412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196412\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/196413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=196412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=196412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=196412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}