New research reveals how exercise rewires your brain against Alzheimer’s |
For years, doctors have known that exercise helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease, but they never understood exactly why. Now, researchers have identified which specific brain cells change when you exercise, greatly improving our understanding of how those changes protect human memory.
Scientists examined the hippocampus — your brain’s memory router — in mouse models of Alzheimer’s and discovered that exercise transforms two critical cell types. In addition to microglia, exercise modifies neurovascular-associated astrocytes (NVA), cells that help maintain your brain’s blood supply and form part of the protective blood-brain barrier.
“Exercise can remodel these important cell types on the transcriptional/gene expression level, which likely increases their neuroprotective properties,” explained Dr. Christiane Wrann, who led the research at Massachusetts General Hospital.
The team also identified a specific metabolic gene called ATPIF1 that regulates cellular energy production and appears crucial for generating new brain cells. This discovery could point toward entirely new treatment approaches that target these same cellular pathways without requiring exercise.
With 32 million people worldwide living with Alzheimer’s and no current cure, understanding these mechanisms offers fresh hope for both prevention and treatment.
To learn how this research is already shaping prevention strategies, and to see specific exercise recommendations, jump to “New study shows how exercise protects the brain from Alzheimer’s disease.”
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