Physical exercise, a potential non-pharmacological intervention for attenuating neuroinflammation and cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease patients

Ribarič, Samo (author)

This narrative review summarises the evidence for considering physical exercise (PE) as a non-pharmacological intervention for delaying cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) not only by improving cardiovascular fitness but also by attenuating neuroinflammation. Ageing is the most important risk factor for AD. A hallmark of the ageing process is a systemic low-grade chronic inflammation that also contributes to neuroinflammation. Neuroinflammation is associated with AD, Parkinson’s disease, late-onset epilepsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and anxiety disorders. Pharmacological treatment of AD is currently limited to mitigating the symptoms and attenuating progression of the disease. AD animal model studies and human studies on patients with a clinical diagnosis of different stages of AD have concluded that PE attenuates cognitive decline not only by improving cardiovascular fitness but possibly also by attenuating neuroinflammation. Therefore, low-grade chronic inflammation and neuroinflammation should be considered potential modifiable risk factors for AD that can be attenuated by PE. This opens the possibility for personalised attenuation of neuroinflammation that could also have important health benefits for patients with other inflammation associated brain disorders (i.e., Parkinson’s disease, late-onset epilepsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and anxiety disorders). In summary, life-long, regular, structured PE should be considered as a supplemental intervention for attenuating the progression of AD in human. Further studies in human are necessary to develop optimal, personalised protocols, adapted to the progression of AD and the individual’s mental and physical limitations, to take full advantage of the beneficial effects of PE that include improved cardiovascular fitness, attenuated systemic inflammation and neuroinflammation, stimulated brain Aβ peptides brain catabolism and brain clearance.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, memory impairment, animal models, human studies, ageing, neuroinflammation, physical exercise
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: MF - Faculty of Medicine
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2022
• Number of pages: 37 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 23, iss. 6, art. 3245
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-137628
• ISSN on article: 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms23063245
• COBISS.SI-ID: 140385027
• Publication date in RUL: 23.06.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: International journal of molecular sciences
• Shortened title: Int. j. mol. sci.
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 1422-0067
• COBISS.SI-ID: 2779162

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: Alzheimerjeva bolezen, motnje spomina, živalski modeli, študije na ljudeh, staranje, nevrovnetje, fizične vaje

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P3-0171
• Name: Plastičnost živčevja v fizioloških in patofizioloških razmerah