Researchers: Jill N Barnes, Jeffrey M Burns, Marcas M Bamman, Sandra A Billinger, Sue C Bodine, Frank W Booth, Patrice Brassard, Tameka A Clemons, Paul J Fadel, Paige C Geiger, Swathi Gujral, Jacob M Haus, Scott E Kanoski, Benjamin F Miller, Jill K Morris, Kristin M S O’Connell, David C Poole, Darleen A Sandoval, J Carson Smith, Russell H Swerdlow, Shawn N Whitehead, Eric D Vidoni, Henriette van Praag
An inaugural workshop supported by “The Leo and Anne Albert Charitable Trust,” was held October 4-7, 2019 in Scottsdale, Arizona, to focus on the effects of exercise on the brain and to discuss how physical activity may prevent or delay the onset of aging-related neurodegenerative conditions. The Scientific Program Committee (led by Dr. Jeff Burns) assembled translational, clinical, and basic scientists who research various aspects of the effects of exercise on the body and brain, with the overall goal of gaining a better understanding as to how to delay or prevent neurodegenerative diseases. In particular, research topics included the links between cardiorespiratory fitness, the cerebrovasculature, energy metabolism, peripheral organs, and cognitive function, which are all highly relevant to understanding the effects of acute and chronic exercise on the brain. The Albert Trust workshop participants addressed these and related topics, as well as how other lifestyle interventions, such as diet, affect age-related cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. This report provides a synopsis of the presentations and discussions by the participants, and a delineation of the next steps towards advancing our understanding of the effects of exercise on the aging brain.
References
- Can physical exercise in old age improve memory and hippocampal function?
- Bridging animal and human models of exercise-induced brain plasticity.
- Effects of Aerobic Exercise Training on Systemic Biomarkers and Cognition in Late Middle-Aged Adults at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease.
- Brain Glucose Metabolism, Cognition, and Cardiorespiratory Fitness Following Exercise Training in Adults at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease.
- High-intensity interval exercise and cerebrovascular health: curiosity, cause, and consequence.
- Exerkines in health, resilience and disease.
- Muscle-to-Brain Signaling Via Myokines and Myometabolites.
- Blood factors transfer beneficial effects of exercise on neurogenesis and cognition to the aged brain.