"Exercise’s Benefits To Dementia Can Be Made Chemically" - Ruth Williams
Mice that model a severe form of Alzheimer’s disease tend to exhibit improved memory after exercise-induced neuron production, according to a report in Science. Similar improvements are also possible with an exercise work-around, by giving the animals a treatment to ramp-up neurogenesis together with a dose of brain-derived neurotropic factor. “This work continues to emphasize the importance of physical exercise in sustaining the brain and fighting off brain degeneration,” said Samuel Gandy, MD, PhD, associate director of the Alzheimer’s disease Research Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “It also highlights particular molecules that we might target in order to optimize the benefits of exercise, or for patients who are disabled or frail, to take the place of the exercise altogether.”
- Samuel Gandy, MD, PhD, Professor, Neurology, Psychiatry, Associate Director, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, The Mount Sinai Center for Cognitive Health and NFL Neurological Care