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Exercise-induced brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression: Therapeutic implications for Alzheimer's dementia
Wang R, Holsinger RMD.. Ageing research reviews, 2018-10-13
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Emerging evidence indicates that moderate intensity aerobic exercise is positively correlated with cognitive function and memory. However, the exact mechanisms underlying such improvements remain unclear. Recent research in animal models allows proposition of a pathway in which brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a key mediator. This perspective draws upon evidence from animal and human studies to highlight such a mechanism whereby exercise drives synthesis and accumulation of neuroactive metabolites such as myokines and ketone bodies in the periphery and in the hippocampus to enhance BDNF expression. BDNF is a neurotrophin with well-established properties of promoting neuronal survival and synaptic integrity, while its influence on energy transduction may provide the crucial link between inherent vascular and metabolic benefits of exercise with enhanced brain function. Indeed, BDNF mRNA and protein is robustly elevated in rats following periods of voluntary exercise. This was also correlated with improved spatial memory, while such benefits were abolished upon inhibition of BDNF signaling. Similarly, both BDNF and cardiovascular fitness arising from aerobic exercise have been positively associated with hippocampal volume and function in humans. We postulate that exercise will attenuate cortical atrophy and synaptic loss inherent to neurodegenerative disorders - many of which also exhibit aberrant down-regulation of BDNF. Thus, the proposed link between BDNF, exercise and cognition may have critical therapeutic implications for the prevention and amelioration of memory loss and cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease and associated dementias.
Key findings
- Emerging evidence indicates that moderate intensity aerobic exercise is positively correlated with cognitive function and memory.
- Similarly, both BDNF and cardiovascular fitness arising from aerobic exercise have been positively associated with hippocampal volume and function in humans.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 38/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 22 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 38 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Ageing research reviews) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2018 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 30326283) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 22 / 58 | Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 22 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 38 out of 100. |
| Total | 38 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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APA 7th
Wang, R., & Holsinger, R. M. D. (2018). Exercise-induced brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression: Therapeutic implications for Alzheimer's dementia. Ageing research reviews. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2018.10.002
Vancouver
Wang R, Holsinger RMD. Exercise-induced brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression: Therapeutic implications for Alzheimer's dementia. Ageing research reviews. 2018. doi:10.1016/j.arr.2018.10.002. PMID: 30326283.
BibTeX
@article{wang2018-30326283,
author = {Wang, R. and Holsinger, R. M. D.},
title = {{Exercise-induced brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression: Therapeutic implications for Alzheimer's dementia}},
journal = {Ageing research reviews},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.1016/j.arr.2018.10.002},
pmid = {30326283},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2018.10.002}
}