[NewsQuest = Reporter Kim Hyung-geun]During normal aging, the human brain undergoes several changes. Nerve cells die and the amount of gray matter decreases. Cellular and metabolic changes occur in neurons.
This results in loss of synaptic plasticity. Synaptic plasticity refers to the ability of neurons to transmit nerve impulses across synapses to adjacent neurons.
The result of this loss is a gradual decline in cognitive abilities, including overall memory loss and inability to learn.
Vigorous exercise, even if short, prevents brain aging by increasing BDNF protein
Recent research on how to protect the brain from the effects of aging has focused on the role of a special protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).
This protein promotes the brain’s ability to form new connections and pathways between nerve cells and improves the survival of neurons.
It is produced by cells throughout the body, but production naturally declines with age.
Studies in animals have shown that increasing the availability of BDNF promotes memory formation and storage, enhances learning, and improves overall cognitive performance.
Unfortunately, pharmaceuticals developed to supplement BDNF in humans have not been very successful.
To develop an accessible, inexpensive, non-pharmacological method that anyone can adopt to promote healthy brain aging, a joint research team from the University of Otago in New Zealand and the University of British Columbia in Canada investigated the effects of fasting and exercise on BDNF levels. investigated.
The results of this study were published in a recent issue of the Journal of Physiology.
“BDNF has shown great promise in animal models, but has failed to be used safely in humans,” said Professor Travis Gibbons of the University of Otago, who led the study.
“So we thought it was necessary to explore non-pharmacological approaches that humans could use to increase BDNF naturally to support healthy aging,” he explains.
Previous research has shown that both fasting and exercise can protect the brain from age-related cognitive decline.
The link between these two external stimuli is thought to be the ability of brain cells to force them to avoid glucose metabolism and their ability to use other substrates for energy production.
This brain matrix switch is involved in upregulating the production of BDNF, which brings high levels of BDNF protein into the blood.
BDNF-enhancing drug works in animals but not in humans
The research team recruited 12 healthy participants between the ages of 18 and 56 to examine the effects of fasting and exercise on BDNF production.
Participants participated in several experiments. ▲ 20 hours of fasting, ▲ 90 minutes of low-intensity exercise, ▲ 6 minutes of vigorous exercise, and ▲ participating in a combined fasting and exercise session. BDNF levels were recorded in participants’ blood samples.
The results showed that fasting for 20 hours had no difference in BDNF levels. Prolonged low-intensity exercise slightly elevated BDNF blood levels (from 336 pg/L to 390 pg/L)
The greatest effect was seen when participants participated in 6 minutes of vigorous exercise. Their blood BDNF levels tripled from an average of 396 pg/L to an average of 1170 pg/L.
The research team explained that the cause of these differences is still unknown and more research is needed to understand the mechanisms involved. During strenuous exercise, the body’s supply of glucose is rapidly depleted and the brain switches to other substrates to use as an energy source.
The team believes that the brain switches from glucose to lactate metabolism during strenuous exercise, which may initiate a chemical pathway that increases the level of BDNF in the blood.
The increase in BDNF observed during vigorous exercise may also be due to an increase in the number of platelets that store large amounts of BDNF.
The concentration of platelets circulating in the blood is affected more by exercise than by fasting and increases by 20% during vigorous exercise.
These findings add momentum to the idea that exercise is good for brain and body health in older adults. Six minutes of high-intensity exercise done on a regular basis may prolong the lifespan of a healthy brain and delay the onset of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
“We are currently studying how longer periods of fasting, for example up to three days, affect BDNF,” said Professor Gibbons. “We believe that fasting and exercise can be used together to optimize BDNF production in the human brain. I think it can,” he said.