• Home
  • Politics
  • Health
  • World
  • Business
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • More
    • Sports
    • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
What's Hot

Three Treatment Options To Consider

May 9, 2025

Microsoft Bans Employees From Using ‘Chinese Propaganda’ Chatbot

May 9, 2025

How Smart Mattresses Improve Sleep Quality For Couples

May 9, 2025
Facebook Twitter Instagram
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
Sunday, May 11
Patriot Now NewsPatriot Now News
  • Home
  • Politics

    Security video shows brazen sexual assault of California woman by homeless man

    October 24, 2023

    Woman makes disturbing discovery after her boyfriend chases away home intruder who stabbed him

    October 24, 2023

    Poll finds Americans overwhelmingly support Israel’s war on Hamas, but younger Americans defend Hamas

    October 24, 2023

    Off-duty pilot charged with 83 counts of attempted murder after allegedly trying to shut off engines midflight on Alaska Airlines

    October 23, 2023

    Leaked audio of Shelia Jackson Lee abusively cursing staffer

    October 22, 2023
  • Health

    Disparities In Cataract Care Are A Sorry Sight

    October 16, 2023

    Vaccine Stocks—Including Pfizer, Moderna, BioNTech And Novavax—Slide Amid Plummeting Demand

    October 16, 2023

    Long-term steroid use should be a last resort

    October 16, 2023

    Rite Aid Files For Bankruptcy With More ‘Underperforming Stores’ To Close

    October 16, 2023

    Who’s Still Dying From Complications Related To Covid-19?

    October 16, 2023
  • World

    New York Democrat Dan Goldman Accuses ‘Conservatives in the South’ of Holding Rallies with ‘Swastikas’

    October 13, 2023

    IDF Ret. Major General Describes Rushing to Save Son, Granddaughter During Hamas Invasion

    October 13, 2023

    Black Lives Matter Group Deletes Tweet Showing Support for Hamas 

    October 13, 2023

    AOC Denounces NYC Rally Cheering Hamas Terrorism: ‘Unacceptable’

    October 13, 2023

    L.A. Prosecutors Call Out Soros-Backed Gascón for Silence on Israel

    October 13, 2023
  • Business

    Microsoft Bans Employees From Using ‘Chinese Propaganda’ Chatbot

    May 9, 2025

    OpenAI CEO Warns: ‘Not A Huge Amount Of Time’ Until China Overpowers American AI

    May 9, 2025

    Trump Announces First Post-Tariff Trade Deal

    May 8, 2025

    Electric Vehicle Sales Nosedive As GOP Takes Buzzsaw To Biden’s Mandate

    May 7, 2025

    Tyson Foods Announces It Will Bend The Knee To Trump Admin’s New Rules

    May 7, 2025
  • Finance

    Ending China’s De Minimis Exception Brings 3 Benefits for Americans

    April 17, 2025

    The Trump Tariff Shock Should Push Indonesia to Reform Its Economy

    April 17, 2025

    Tariff Talks an Opportunity to Reinvigorate the Japan-US Alliance

    April 17, 2025

    How China’s Companies Are Responding to the US Trade War

    April 16, 2025

    The US Flip-flop Over H20 Chip Restrictions 

    April 16, 2025
  • Tech

    Cruz Confronts Zuckerberg on Pointless Warning for Child Porn Searches

    February 2, 2024

    FTX Abandons Plans to Relaunch Crypto Exchange, Commits to Full Repayment of Customers and Creditors

    February 2, 2024

    Elon Musk Proposes Tesla Reincorporates in Texas After Delaware Judge Voids Pay Package

    February 2, 2024

    Tesla’s Elon Musk Tops Disney’s Bob Iger as Most Overrated Chief Executive

    February 2, 2024

    Mark Zuckerberg’s Wealth Grew $84 Billion in 2023 as Pedophiles Target Children on Facebook, Instagram

    February 2, 2024
  • More
    • Sports
    • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
Patriot Now NewsPatriot Now News
Home»Health»How Exercise Helps Fight Alzheimer’s Disease
Health

How Exercise Helps Fight Alzheimer’s Disease

September 21, 2023No Comments5 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
How Exercise Helps Fight Alzheimer’s Disease
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

Amyloid plaques are misfolded protein-aggregates between neurons associated with Alzheimer’s disease

getty

A silent pandemic is underway. In 2016, 45 million people were affected by Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050, this number is expected to soar to 100 million. We have yet to develop successful treatment options and the exact causes remain nebulous. New research, published in the journal Neuron, cuts through some of the fog, providing novel avenues for treatment. Working out of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Eunhee Kim and colleagues describe how a protein called irisin breaks down amyloid beta in the brain, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease.

What is Amyloid Beta?

As we age, our brain shrinks. A small amount of shrinkage is normal and, despite the drop in brain “volume”, usually does not bring about a significant loss of neurons. With Alzheimer’s disease, the amount the brain shrinks is excessive. This is accompanied by a mass die-off of neurons and impaired neuronal function: communication and routine repairs begin to falter.

Although the root cause —and there may be multiple— of Alzheimer’s disease has yet to be uncovered, there are two prime suspects: amyloid plaques and “tau tangles”. Amyloid plaques form when multiple protein fragments, known as amyloid beta, clump together. Over time, the abnormal collection of “sticky” proteins develops into a plaque, blocking up important signaling pathways and impairing memory formation.

Fighting Back with Exercise

Previous studies suggest physical activity and exercise have the potential to lessen amyloid beta buildup in the brain while also decreasing inflammation. The result? Improved cognitive health. But the mechanisms underlying the healing effects of exercise remained unknown.

One potential explanation comes by way of a hormone released by our muscles during exercise: irisin. This small signaling molecule helps regulate glucose and fat metabolism in fatty tissues. It also boosts energy by converting white fat tissue into brown fat tissue — the former acts as a storage place of energy, like a battery, whereas the latter specializes in expending stored energy. Crucially, irisin is not held back by the blood-brain barrier and has been found throughout the brain, including the hippocampus, or “memory center”. Irisin levels were recently shown to be lower in the hippocampus and cerebrospinal fluid of Alzheimer’s patients compared to their healthy peers.

Irisin Reduces Amyloid Beta Deposits

To confirm whether irisin was behind the exercise-related improvements in cognitive function, the researchers turned to a three-dimensional model of Alzheimer’s disease they developed a few years prior. Instead of just simulating the cellular makeup of the brain, as is often the case with cell cultures grown on flat Petri dishes, the model they devised also simulates the three-dimensional structure, or “architecture”, of the brain. The additional dimension creates an environment that more closely resembles that of the brain itself, improving the veracity and predictive power of the results.

The three-dimensional disease models exposed to irisin displayed an astonishing drop in amyloid beta deposits, directly implicating the molecule in the benefits to cognitive health associated with exercise. Still, it wasn’t clear why this was happening: how does irisin lead to a breakdown of amyloid beta deposits?

Further experiments revealed that irisin was binding to cells in the brain called astrocytes. These cells are the major cells of the central nervous system (CNS). Think of them like all-purpose caretakers; they provide the building blocks from which neurotransmitters are made, they get rid of any excess neurotransmitters, they clear abnormal debris, promote synapse formation, and regulate the blood-brain barrier. They also happen to secrete an enzyme called neprilysin, known to degrade amyloid beta and improve memory function in mice with Alzheimer’s disease. Indeed, neprilysin was being secreted by the astrocytes to which irisin had been binding. As in the other studies, the increase in neprilysin correlated with a decrease in amyloid-beta deposits. The researchers even managed to track down the precise surface receptor that allowed irisin to bind to the astrocytes: integrin αV/β5.

One final discovery was that, to enhance neprilysin levels, irisin downregulates two critical signaling proteins: extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3).

Caveats

Three-dimensional cell-culture models have a clear edge over their two-dimensional counterparts, but they are still, ultimately, limited. The brain is a massively complex environment, and it will always be difficult to accurately mimic all of its nuances. Even animal models, usually considered one step above cell culture, often fail to accurately predict outcomes in humans. Despite the exciting results, we would do well not to get ahead of ourselves — until they are replicated in human trials, consider the findings groundwork for future studies.

Takeaways

Exercise has been known to decrease amyloid beta buildup in animals and humans with Alzheimer’s disease, boosting memory and improving cognitive health. How it was achieving this, however, was unclear. In their important findings, Eunhee Kim and colleagues have brought to light the mechanism underlying these cognitive benefits: irisin binds to astrocytes, which secrete an amyloid-degrading enzyme called neprilysin. This discovery opens the door to new directions for treatment, and possibly even prevention, of the disease.

The research adds to a growing body of scientific literature underscoring the importance and benefits of physical activity to brain health. Along with irisin, platelet factor 4 and klotho have also been shown to promote cognitive function, including critical thinking and memory.

See also  CDC Panel Recommends RSV Vaccine For Some Expectant Mothers
Alzheimers disease exercise Fight Helps
Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Related Posts

How Exercise Can Promote Mental Health During Recovery

February 4, 2025

Biden’s Top Bank Cop Who Oversaw Wave Of Regional Failures Resigns Ahead Of Potential Fight With Incoming Trump Admin

January 6, 2025

How Private Homecare Helps Families Stay Connected During Challenging Times

December 20, 2024

More Than Mercenary: Why Taiwan’s Semiconductor Dominance Helps the US

August 2, 2024
Add A Comment

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Top Posts

“That would be a bad move”

August 18, 2023

‘Absolutely damning’ NPR report accuses Rolling Stone of covering up child porn charges in article on FBI raid of star journalist’s home

March 26, 2023

Why a Derm Loves Elemis Peptide4 Eye Recovery Cream

August 25, 2023

Burglary victim gets the last laugh after using tracker in designer purse to lead police to suspects

September 26, 2023
Don't Miss

Three Treatment Options To Consider

Lifestyle May 9, 2025

The most common cause of hair loss in men is male androgenetic alopecia (MAA), otherwise…

Microsoft Bans Employees From Using ‘Chinese Propaganda’ Chatbot

May 9, 2025

How Smart Mattresses Improve Sleep Quality For Couples

May 9, 2025

OpenAI CEO Warns: ‘Not A Huge Amount Of Time’ Until China Overpowers American AI

May 9, 2025
About
About

This is your World, Tech, Health, Entertainment and Sports website. We provide the latest breaking news straight from the News industry.

We're social. Connect with us:

Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest
Categories
  • Business (4,112)
  • Entertainment (4,220)
  • Finance (3,202)
  • Health (1,938)
  • Lifestyle (1,629)
  • Politics (3,084)
  • Sports (4,036)
  • Tech (2,006)
  • Uncategorized (4)
  • World (3,944)
Our Picks

150 Deep and Meaningful Quotes About Life That Makes You Think

February 6, 2025

Sean Strickland, Dricus Du Plessis Brawl in the Stands at UFC 296

December 17, 2023

Pro-Terror Teenagers Admit They Learned to Hate Israel on China’s TikTok, Zuckerberg’s Instagram

November 12, 2023
Popular Posts

Three Treatment Options To Consider

May 9, 2025

Microsoft Bans Employees From Using ‘Chinese Propaganda’ Chatbot

May 9, 2025

How Smart Mattresses Improve Sleep Quality For Couples

May 9, 2025
© 2025 Patriotnownews.com - All rights reserved.
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.