2023-07-15 16:17:27
by Health Editor
Researchers at the Catholic University have discovered the biological mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective effects of physical activity
It is known that practicing physical activity on a regular basis, especially of an aerobic type, slows down the progression of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and numerous studies have proved it. Now a new Italian work just published in Science Advances conducted by a group of neuroscientists from the Faculty of Medicine of the Catholic University and the Gemelli Foundation in Rome has investigated the physiological mechanisms underlying the fact that intense physical exercise is able to improve the motor and cognitive symptoms of the disease. We have discovered a biological mechanism never observed before, through which exercise carried out in the early stages of the disease induces beneficial effects on movement control that can persist over time even after training is stopped, says the lead author of the study, Professor Paolo Calabresi, director of the Department of Neurology at the Gemelli Polyclinic and full professor of Neurology at the Catholic University of Milan.
The cerebral neutrophic factor
Previous work had shown that intense physical activity is associated with increased production of brain neutrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that has a neuroprotective effect and promotes the formation of new neurons and synapses. According to studies already carried out on animals, not all physical activities would however lead to the same benefits. Swimming, running or cycling seem to stimulate the production of nerve cells better (and counteract brain aging) than anaerobic activities such as weight lifting.
The benefits of exercise
The study showed the effects of regular and vigorous exercise on mice with the disease who exercised on a treadmill every day for a month. It has been seen that in response to exercise in the brain of mice, the production of a growth factor that is essential for the survival of neurons increases, the cerebral neutrophic factor, BDNF, which determines the beneficial effects of physical activity on a cerebral and therefore behavioral level. In fact, researchers have seen that in response to exercise, the course of the disease slows down: in particular, there is a reduction in the diffusion of the toxic aggregates of a protein, alpha-synuclein, which in Parkinson’s leads to the degeneration of the nerve cells of some brain areas essential for motor control.
The mechanism
The neuroprotective effect of motor activity is associated with the survival of dopamine-producing neurons and with the neurons’ ability to continue performing their function, aspects otherwise compromised by the disease. Motor control and visuo-spatial learning are also intact in the highly trained animals. Neuroscientists also discovered that BDNF, whose levels increase with exercise, interacts with the NMDA glutamate receptor, allowing neurons in the striatum to respond efficiently to stimuli, with effects that persist beyond exercise. .
The work to identify new markers
Professor Paolo Calabresi went into detail explaining how his working group is involved in a clinical study to verify whether intensive exercise can identify new markers to monitor the slowing down of disease progression in early stage patients. Because Parkinson’s disease is characterized by important neuroinflammatory and neuroimmune components that play a key role in the early stages of the disease, research will continue to investigate the involvement of glial cells, groups of highly specialized cells that provide physical and chemical support to neurons, he underlined. and their environment. This will allow us to identify the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the observed beneficial effects.
July 15, 2023 (change July 15, 2023 | 16:17)
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