Exercise, Learning May Fight Off Alzheimers
Mar. 10, 2005 -- Exercise and curiosity could help keep and other degenerative brain diseases at bay.
"It's really common sense that exercise and improved behaviors are going to be important," says Sangram Sisodia, PhD, who worked on a new mouse study.
That means staying fit and taking "opportunities to learn, be inquisitive, and explore the world," Sisodia tells KB120.
"It appears that exercise and physical activity are very important for brain function," agrees Karoly Mirnics, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry and neurobiology at the University of Pittsburgh.
In fact, activity could help avoid other brain diseases, too, says Mirnics, who also worked on the mouse study. "What we tapped into is not a very disease-specific process, but a universal process, I think," he tells KB120.
Just how big are the brain benefits of exercise and learning? Does physical and mental activity really hedge against Alzheimer's disease?
Sisodia and Mirnics shared their views with KB120. Their study's results may point the way towards healthier brains for humans, too.
Exercise, Activity Not Cure-Alls
Exercise and activity have not been found to cure Alzheimer's disease or any other brain condition, Mirnics stresses. But they've shown promise in halting the disease's progression in experiments on animals.
"I think that's pretty important news," he says.
A lot of population-based studies support the idea, says Sisodia. "This pinpoints some very important issues," he tells KB120, adding that exercise can strengthen the brain, as well as the muscles.
Alzheimer's Disease: Leading Cause of Dementia
An estimated 4.5 million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer's disease. Most of them are senior citizens. Alzheimer's disease affects one in 10 people over age 65 and nearly half of those older than 85, says the Alzheimer's Association.
Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease. However, medications can help manage some symptoms. The progressive disease damages areas of the brain involved in memory, intelligence, judgment, language, and behavior.
In Alzheimer's disease, proteins called amyloid protein form tangles and plaques that clog the brain. Those tell-tale signs have been found in the brains of dead Alzheimer's patients.
Mimicking Alzheimer's Disease in Mice
The researchers tested mice with early stages of a brain disease similar to Alzheimer's disease. They put nine male mice into an "enriched environment." Picture a mouse's deluxe suite, fully loaded with plenty of wheels to run on, toys to play with, and colorful tunnels to wiggle through.
Nine other male mice got "plain-Jane" accommodations. Their cage had no special features.
After five months, the two groups had important differences. The mice in the enriched environment had less Alzheimer's-related amyloid protein in their brains. They also had 41 genes that had kicked into high gear to help guard against brain problems.
"Exercise was turning up the expression of the genes," Sisodia tells KB120. As for the other results, Sisodia says exercise may have prompted new blood vessels to help clear troublesome proteins out of the brain. "That needs to be tested, of course," he says.
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