Nearly 50 million people are affected by Alzheimer’s disease worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It is mainly characterized by recent memory disorders, a progressive loss of cognitive faculties and autonomy. If there is no treatment to date, researchers at the University of Otago (New Zealand) have discovered that practicing just six minutes of high-intensity exercise would delay the onset of the disease. Their study was published on January 11, 2023 in the journal The Journal of Physiology.
According to the study’s researchers, a protein called “brain-derived neurotrophic factor” or “BDNF” may stimulate the brain’s ability to make new connections, form and store memories, improve learning and promote overall cognitive performance as well as the survival of neurons.
Scientists have thus tried to find what would be the best non-drug method to stimulate this very particular protein. “BDNF has shown great promise in animal models, but pharmaceutical interventions have so far failed to safely harness the protective power of BDNF in humans,” explained lead author Travis Gibbons. of the study, in a communiqué.
As part of their work, the researchers therefore solicited the participation of 12 active adults, six men and six women aged respectively (…)
