Step Up for Brain Health: Walking Strengthens Brain Networks and Fights Alzheimer’s

summary: Walking can strengthen connections within and between three important brain networks, one of which is linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

This study involved older adults with normal cognitive function and older adults with mild cognitive impairment and showed improvement in memory retrieval abilities after 12 weeks of walking and exercise therapy. The observed brain activity was stronger and more synchronized after exercise, leading to hopes that it may combat cognitive deficits and delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

This research amplifies the importance of exercise in promoting brain health.

Important facts:

1. It turns out that walking can strengthen connections within and between three important brain networks (the default mode, the frontoparietal network, and the saliency network), thereby improving brain health.
2. Participants who walked for 12 weeks improved their ability to recall stories, demonstrating the impact of exercise on cognitive function.
3. This study highlights exercise as a potential preventative or stabilizing agent in people with mild cognitive impairment, which may delay the transition to Alzheimer’s dementia.

sauce: University of Maryland

A new study from the University of Maryland School of Public Health reveals how walking strengthens connections within and between three brain networks, including those linked to Alzheimer’s disease, suggesting that exercise improves brain health. Evidence is growing.

of the month Alzheimer’s Journal reportIn this study, the brains and stories of older adults with normal brain function and those with mildly impaired mental abilities, such as memory, reasoning, and judgment, and diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. investigated the recall ability of

“Historically, the brain networks we studied in this study show that they deteriorate over time in people with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease,” said Professor of Kinesiology in the School of Public Health. said J. Carson-Smith, the study’s lead investigator.

“People become disconnected, and as a result people lose the ability to think clearly and remember things. We demonstrate that exercise training strengthens these connections.”

The study builds on Smith’s previous research showing that walking can reduce cerebral blood flow and improve brain function in older people with mild cognitive impairment.

Thirty-three participants aged 71 to 85 walked supervised on a treadmill four days a week for 12 weeks. Before and after this exercise program, the researchers asked participants to read a short story and repeat it aloud in as much detail as possible.

Participants also underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which allowed researchers to measure changes in communication within and between three brain networks that control cognitive function.

• default mode network – Activated when a person is not doing certain tasks (like daydreaming about the grocery list) and connects to the hippocampus, one of the first brain regions affected by Alzheimer’s disease. It’s also where Alzheimer’s disease and amyloid plaques, the prime suspect of Alzheimer’s disease that surround nerve cells, show up on tests.
• frontoparietal network – Regulate the decisions people make in completing tasks. It also involves memory.
• saliency network – Observe the outside world and stimuli to determine what deserves attention. It also facilitates switching between networks and optimizes performance.

After 12 weeks of exercise, the researchers repeated the test and found that the participants’ ability to recall stories improved significantly.

“Brain activity is stronger and more synchronized, demonstrating that exercise can indeed induce change and adaptive capacity in the brain,” Smith said.

“These results give us further hope that exercise may help prevent or stabilize people with mild cognitive impairment, and may slow the transition to Alzheimer’s disease in the long term. increase.”

The researchers also observed stronger activity in the default mode network, in the saliency network, and in connections between the three networks.

About this Alzheimer’s disease and exercise research news

author: Kelly Blake
sauce: University of Maryland
contact: Kelly Blake – University of Maryland
image: Image credited to Neuroscience News

Original research: open access.
“Changes in Large-Scale Network Connectivity and Cognitive Function After Exercise Training in Cognitively Unimpaired and Mild Cognitively Impaired Elderlyby J. Carson-Smith et al. Alzheimer’s Journal report

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overview

Changes in Large-Scale Network Connectivity and Cognitive Function After Exercise Training in Cognitively Unimpaired and Mild Cognitively Impaired Elderly

Background:

Despite mounting evidence for the link between exercise training (ET) and functional network connectivity in the brain, ET on functional connectivity (FC) within and between large networks of core brain networks Little is known about the effects of

the purpose:

We investigated the intra- and We investigated the effects of ETs on functional connectivity between networks. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The association between ET-induced changes in FC and cognitive performance was examined.

Method:

Thirty-three elderly (78.0±7.0 years, 16 MCI, 17 CN) participated in this study. Before and after the 12-week walking ET intervention, participants completed a graded motor test, controlled verbal association test (COWAT), Ray auditory verbal learning test (RAVLT), narrative memory test (logical memory, LM), and resting time. I took the test. – State fMRI scan. I checked inside (_W.) and (_B.) Network connectivity for DMN, FPN, and SAL. We used linear regression to examine associations between ET-related changes in network connectivity and cognitive function.

result:

Significant improvements in cardiopulmonary function, COWAT, RAVLT, and LM were seen across participants after ET. Significant increase in DMN_W. and SAL_W.and DMN-FPN_B.DMN-SAL_B.FPN-SAL_B. Observed after ET.Greater SAL flights_W. and FPN-SAL flights_B. It was associated with improved LM immediate recall performance after ET in both groups.

Conclusion:

Increased intra- and inter-network connectivity after ET may sustain improved memory performance in cognitively normal older adults and older adults with MCI due to Alzheimer’s disease.