PHYSICAL activity may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and all-cause dementia and slow age-related cognitive decline.
Aging and neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, have associations with increased inflammation in the brain.
Animal studies have shown that physical activity may lead to cognitive benefits by reducing the activation of microglial cells, the primary immune cells in the brain.
A new study involving older adults reports that reducing microglial activation may help support the protective effects of physical activity on cognitive functioning.
A decline in certain cognitive abilities, such as memory and attention, is typical with aging. However, some individuals may experience dementia, which involves a severe decrease in cognitive abilities that impair daily functioning.
Studies show that individuals who exercise regularly have a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and all-cause dementia. Moreover, physical activity can slow down the progression of cognitive decline.
Scientists do not fully understand the mechanisms through which physical activity produces these cognitive benefits in humans.
A recent study led by researchers at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) shows that reducing inflammation in the brain may mediate the cognitive benefits of physical activity.
Specifically, the researchers found that physical exercise had associations with reduced activation of microglia, the primary immune cells in the brain.
The study’s co-author, Dr. Kaitlin Casaletto, a professor at UCSF, told Medical News Today, “Many studies show that physical activity relates to better brain and cognitive health (e.g., estimates indicate that inactivity alone accounts for 13% of Alzheimer’s disease cases worldwide).
Yet, we still do not fundamentally understand the mechanisms linking physical activity to cognition in humans. Our study is the first human data showing that microglial activation (“brain inflammation”) may be a meaningful mechanism.”
