For years, researchers have known that regular exercise can reduce the risk of contracting dementia by 30% to 80%. A new study suggests that it achieves this benefit by improving the communication between brain cells.
Kaitlin Casaletto, assistant professor of neurology at the University of California-San Francisco, showed that exercise stimulates the body to produce a protein that improves communication between synapses (the gap where neural cells link to one another).
According to Casaletto, these proteins protect synaptic communication even in people whose cells show early signs of Alzheimer’s disease, such as tangles and amyloid plaques. Though these patients show damage from Alzheimer’s, exercise seems to prevent the cognitive decline associated with the disease.
In short, people who exercise can hold off memory loss and other typical problems caused by Alzheimer’s. However, Casaletto says that she hasn’t proved that these synaptic proteins prevent cognitive decline, but she has shown an association between the two.
How Synaptic Proteins Protect Thinking Ability
The brain must steadily move signals through the synapses to send messages through the body. A series of proteins in the synapses helps conduct these signals. However, these proteins wear out over time.
Casaletto said, “There are many proteins present at the synapse that help facilitate different aspects of the cell-to-cell communication. Those proteins need to be in balance with one another in order for the synapse to function optimally.”
She showed the link between exercise and these synaptic proteins by analyzing the brains of 70- to 80-year-old subjects who donated their brains after death. The study also recorded each donor’s level of physical activity in their later years.
The results showed the more active people also had more synaptic proteins in the brain.
Keep Moving
Casaletto says her study demonstrates that it’s essential for people to keep moving as they age because physical activity increases these synaptic proteins. Moreover, this benefit occurs even in people already showing signs of Alzheimer’s Disease or any other form of dementia.
Her study group recommends that adults try to move at least 150 minutes per week. These movements don’t have to be part of an exercise session. Instead, any activities people can incorporate in their day count, such as climbing a flight of stairs instead of taking an elevator or getting up and walking around while watching television.
