Alzheimer’s disease is a major neurodegenerative disease, which causes plaques and tangles in the brain. Its severity ranges from mild forgetfulness and memory lapses, to inability to communicate and requirement of assistance with simple daily tasks. As of today, there is no known cure for preventing or reducing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. While there is no cure, certain lifestyle factors can lower the risk of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and dementia in later life. Here, we examine the effects of regular physical exercise on stabilizing cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients.
To give some background, Hp1bp3 has been identified as the protein which is the main modulator of cognitive aging (Kaczorowski et. al.). In her research, Dr. Kaczorowski explored how this protein affected cognitive aging in mice and humans. Her results show that impaired cognition was related to lower levels of the Hp1bp3 protein. It was demonstrated that deficiencies in this protein could be used as an early indicator of high loss of cognitive function. In addition, this study set forth the idea that close monitoring of this protein could be useful in protection against cognitive aging in the future.
Although the Hp1bp3 protein is genetically determined, research has shown that various controllable factors, such as exercise, also play a role in lowering the risk of future neurological disorders. In the article, “Physical Exercise as Stabilizer for Alzheimer's Disease Cognitive Decline”, researchers tested whether moderate physical exercise would provide benefits in the pace of cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients. Half of the participants in the study underwent moderate exercise (active group), while the other did not exercise at all (sedentary group). The results indicate that those in the active group showed significantly less decline in cognitive functioning compared to the sedentary group. In addition to cognitive decline, participants also exemplified improvement in attention and executive functions. The hypothesis behind this positive association between exercise and cognitive decline states that physical activity is associated with an increased consumption of oxygen and glucose, as well as augmentation in the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). This augment creates beneficial cerebral plasticity, and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS induces anti oxidants, which reduce oxidative stress related diseases. This neuroplasticity may reduce the harm of plaques in brain regions. It is important to note that the participants in this study underwent aerobic exercise. Current evidence points to the idea that aerobic exercises are the most beneficial for combating further brain changes associated with cognitive decline (Tarumi, 2019).
In essence, both of these studies speak on the progression and hopeful prevention of cognitive decline. As noted, regular physical exercise is one of the few ways to reduce risk of non-curable, genetically determined neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s through improved neuroplasticity and neuron survival. In addition, the finding of Dr. Kaczorowski can play a huge part in the future of reducing the onset of cognitive decline in humans through modulation of the Hp1bp3 protein.
References:
Machado Sergio (2017). "Physical Exercise as Stabilizer for Alzheimer’s Disease Cognitive Decline: Current Status.” Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health : CP & EMH., vol. 13, BioMed Central, 2017.
Kaczorowski, Catherine (2020). “Systems Genetics Identifies Hp1bp3 as a Novel Modulator of Cognitive Aging.” Neurobiology of Aging, 46, 58-67
Tarumi, Takashi (2019). “Exercise Training in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment: A One-Year Randomized Controlled Trial." Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 71, no. 2, pp. 421-433, 2019.
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