Exercise Rejuvenates the Brain
Research has demonstrated that exercise can improve brain health and function. Scientists have been eager to learn how because aging is associated with cognitive decline.
Aging changes physical well-being over time, yet exercise can improve age-related deficits. Mice are often used to study the brain because of the similarity to the human brain. In a new study, scientists analyzed single-cell RNA sequencing and gene expression for various cell types in the hippocampus of young and aged mice that were either sedentary or voluntarily ran on a running wheel. The hippocampus is critical for learning and memory formation.
Researchers discovered that exercise has the potential to slow or reverse age-related cognitive and brain health decline at the cellular level by:
Reverting gene expression of aged microglia back to a state observed in younger mice, and microglia are known to be important to the birth of new brain cells in the hippocampus and to the plasticity that enables information flow, and
Reducing T cells that have accumulated due to aging, that contribute to inflammation and cognitive decline.
Takeaway: Aging degrades the brain. Exercise changes the brain at a cellular level by reducing inflammation and restoring youthful gene expression. Exercise has a restorative impact on brain cells, thus it can improve brain health and cognitive function, helping to rejuvenate the brain to its younger self.
Well-being is a journey, not a quick fix.
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Source
Solal Chauquet, et al., Exercise rejuvenates microglia and reverses T cell accumulation in the aged female mouse brain - Chauquet - Aging Cell - Wiley Online Library, May 15, 2024.
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