Can a drug imitate the effects of sport to brake Alzheimer?

There are no longer any studies that show that physical activity – whether endurance, yoga or walking – can drastically reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, among other pathologies. But what to do when, with the weight of years, the body no longer follows? A new research. published in the journal Nature Neuroscienceoffers an unprecedented solution: reproducing the beneficial effects of physical exercise on the brain can drug imitate effects sport by … pharmacology, in other words a medication.

&#13.

Understand the impact of physical effort on the brain – Can drug imitate effects sport

“We know that exercise does a lot of good to the brain and acts against Alzheimer’s disease”says Christiane Wrann, professor at the Harvard Medical School and the main author of the study, in a press release. His Massachusetts General Hospital team decided to dive into the heart of the brain to understand how. exactly, the exercise acts on a cellular scale.

&#13.

Thanks to a technology called “Unique nucleus RNA sequencing” (SNRNA-SEQ), which makes it possible to profile gene expression in cells difficult to isolate, the researchers have analyzed cells of the mouse hippocampus, a key area for memory, strongly affected by Alzheimer. By comparing healthy brains. suffering from the disease, and exposed or not to exercise, they have been able to observe the concrete effects of physical effort on cellular activity.

&#13.

Their analyzes can drug imitate effects sport made it possible to identify a promising actor: the gene ATPPIF1associated with neuroplasticity, that is to say the capacity of the brain to generate new neurons. This gene, less active in people with Alzheimer’s, finds its activity after a period of physical exercise in mice. “Having this active gene helps nerve cells to survive, multiply and form connections”explains Wrann.

Towards a treatment that replaces the exercise?

The objective, in the long term, would be to stimulate this gene without having to move from its sofa. “We want to activate these molecular pathways by drugs to improve the cognitive function of patients”specifies Christiane Wrann. Because if it recommends exercise to those who can. it recognizes that “Many patients no longer have the physical ability to fully enjoy its effects.” By stimulating the same circuits as exercise. it may be possible can drug imitate effects sport not to heal Alzheimer’s, but to delay the appearance, or to slow down the cognitive decline associated with dementia, which affects 55 million people around the world.