Long-term aerobic exercise prevents age-related brain changes

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-10/p-lae102615.php

Public Release: 29-Oct-2015
Long-term aerobic exercise prevents age-related brain changes
PLOS

A study of the brains of mice shows that structural deterioration associated with old age can be prevented by long-term aerobic exercise starting in mid-life, according to the authors of a research article publishing in the Open Access journal PLOS Biology on October 29th. Gareth Howell, Ileana Soto and their colleagues at The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine (USA) found that structural changes that make the blood-brain barrier leaky and result in inflammation of brain tissues in old mice can be mitigated by allowing the animals to run regularly, so providing a potential explanation for the beneficial effects of exercise on dementia in humans.

Old age is the major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, like many other diseases. Age-related cognitive deficits are due partly to changes in neuronal function, but also correlate with deficiencies in the blood supply to the brain and with low-level inflammation.

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