(Press-News.org) Regular aerobic exercise could significantly reduce disease markers associated with Alzheimer’s, new research led by scientists at the University of Bristol (UK) and the Federal University of São Paulo (Brazil) has found. The findings provide new hope in the battle against this devastating disorder.
Published in the journal Brain Research, the study highlights how physical activity not only protects healthy brain cells but also restores balance in the aging brain.
The research focused on the hippocampus, the brain region responsible for memory and learning, and measured the impact of aerobic exercise on key Alzheimer’s markers: amyloid plaques, tau tangles, and iron accumulation in myelin-producing cells known as oligodendrocytes. These markers are central to Alzheimer’s pathology.
Findings revealed that rodents who completed a structured aerobic exercise programme experienced:
Significant reductions in tau tangles (around 63% with exercise), amyloid plaques (about 76% in the exercise group), and iron accumulation (reduced by about 58% in the brains of exercising rodents).
Enhanced brain cell health, including increased numbers of protective oligodendrocytes.
Reduced brain inflammation in the exercise group (between 55% and 68% depending on the inflammatory biomarker considered), and cell death.
Improved communication between brain cells, restoring critical balance in the brain’s function as it ages.
Dr Augusto Coppi, Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Anatomy at the University of Bristol and one of the study’s senior authors, explained: “Alzheimer’s is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with no known cure, impacting millions worldwide. While physical exercise is known to reduce cognitive decline, the cellular mechanisms behind its neuroprotective effects have remained elusive—until now. This research highlights the potential for aerobic exercise to serve as a cornerstone in preventive strategies for Alzheimer’s.”
Key findings from the study include:
Integrating regular aerobic exercise into daily life could play a crucial role in slowing or preventing Alzheimer’s progression.
Public health initiatives should prioritise exercise programs tailored to aging populations.
The researchers are now planning human clinical trials to confirm the protective effects observed in rodent models. They will also investigate drugs targeting iron metabolism and cell death as potential therapeutic approaches for Alzheimer’s.
The research was supported by CAPES-PRINT (Brazil), CNPq (Brazil), and FAPESP (Brazil), and demonstrates how collaborating internationally could address global health challenges.
END
Aerobic exercise: a powerful ally in the fight against Alzheimer’s
2025-01-16
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Cambridge leads first phase of governmental project to understand impact of smartphones and social media on young people
2025-01-16
Cambridge researchers are leading the first phase of a new research project that will lay the groundwork for future studies into the impact on children of smartphone and social media use.
The work has been commissioned by the UK government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology after a review by the UK Chief Medical Officer in 2019 found the evidence base around the links to children’s mental health were insufficient to provide strong conclusions suitable to inform policy.
The project – led by a team at the University of Cambridge, in collaboration with researchers at several leading UK universities ...
AASM Foundation partners with Howard University Medical Alumni Association to provide scholarships
2025-01-15
DARIEN, IL — The American Academy of Sleep Medicine Foundation is proud to announce a partnership with the Howard University Medical Alumni Association to support medical students at Howard University. Through the HUMAA scholarship program, the AASM Foundation is sponsoring five scholarships, each valued at $3,000.
“By supporting medical students at Howard University, we’re empowering the next generation of medical professionals who will shape the future of health care,” said Dr. R. Nisha Aurora, president of the AASM Foundation. “We’re also hoping to inspire students to consider careers ...
Protective actions need regulatory support to fully defend homeowners and coastal communities, study finds
2025-01-15
As climate change drives increasingly severe hurricanes, U.S. coastal communities are bearing the brunt of mounting losses. With regulations failing to curb the damage, homeowners have become the front line of defense — but their efforts often fall short, a recent study reveals.
Led by Tracy Kijewski-Correa, professor of engineering and global affairs at the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, the study, published in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, explored how homeowners respond in the aftermath of hurricanes when reconstruction becomes ...
On-chip light control of semiconductor optoelectronic devices using integrated metasurfaces
2025-01-15
A new publication from Opto-Electronic Advances; DOI 10.29026/oea.2025.240159, discusses on-chip light control of semiconductor optoelectronic devices using integrated metasurfaces.
Since the initial demonstration of the first semiconductor laser in the early 1960s, semiconductor optoelectronic devices have achieved unparalleled commercial success and permeated every facet of human lives from communication, lighting, and entertainment to medicine. Furthermore, in response to the emergence of novel applications, such as the consumer electronics, AR/VR ...
America’s political house can become less divided
2025-01-15
Maytal Saar-Tsechansky was standing a few meters from Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, when he was assassinated by a right-wing extremist in Tel Aviv.
“At the time, Rabin was promoting peace with the Palestinians,” says Saar-Tsechansky, professor of information, risk, and operations management and the Mary John and Ralph Spence Centennial Professor at Texas McCombs. “The assassination was the result of a lot of incitement, of some people claiming that he was the enemy of the people.”
Although she typically studies artificial intelligence, the traumatic incident planted a seed for a different interest: how to ease political divisions. She began ...
A common antihistamine shows promise in treating liver complications of a rare disease complication
2025-01-15
A common antihistamine may offer hope for patients with a rare genetic disease that can lead to severe liver damage and ultimately require transplantation, according to new research from Rutgers Health.
The study in Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology found that chlorcyclizine, a decades-old allergy medication, could potentially treat erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP), a condition that creates extreme skin light sensitivity and can produce toxic levels of protoporphyrin in the liver, bone marrow, red cells, and plasma.
"There is an unmet need for these patients," said Bishr Omary, senior ...
Trastuzumab emtansine improves long-term survival in HER2 breast cancer
2025-01-15
In patients with high-risk HER2-positive breast cancer, post-surgery, or adjuvant, treatment with trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) reduced the long-term risk of death or invasive disease by 46% and improved survival compared to trastuzumab alone, according to the final results of the phase 3 KATHERINE clinical trial led by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.
The findings, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), provide long-term evidence that T-DM1 is an effective adjuvant treatment for this population of breast ...
Is eating more red meat bad for your brain?
2025-01-15
MINNEAPOLIS — People who eat more red meat, especially processed red meat like bacon, sausage and bologna, are more likely to have a higher risk of cognitive decline and dementia when compared to those who eat very little red meat, according to a study published in the January 15, 2025, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
“Red meat is high in saturated fat and has been shown in previous studies to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, which are both linked to reduced brain health,” said ...
How does Tourette syndrome differ by sex?
2025-01-15
MINNEAPOLIS — Tourette syndrome is currently diagnosed about three times more frequently in males than in females. A new study finds that female individuals are less likely to be diagnosed with the syndrome, take longer to receive a diagnosis and are older when they are diagnosed than male individuals. The study is published in the January 15, 2025, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Tourette syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder defined by ...
Red meat consumption increases risk of dementia and cognitive decline
2025-01-15
Red meat consumption is an established risk factor for chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. A new study by investigators from Mass General Brigham, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard found that eating greater quantities of red meat, especially in processed forms, increased risk for dementia, too. Results, published online on January 15, 2025, in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, highlight that replacing processed red meat with protein sources like nuts and legumes or fish may decrease dementia risk by approximately 20 percent.
“Dietary ...