Exercise as an intervention for the age-related decline in brain metabolic support

To identify interventions for brain aging, we must first identify the processes in which we hope to intervene. Brain aging is a period of decreasing functional capacity and increasing vulnerability, which reflect a reduction in morphological organization and perhaps degeneration. Since life is ult...

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Main Authors: Brenda J Anderson, Shayri J Greenwood, Daniel P McCloskey
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2010-08-01
Series:Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
Subjects:
Online Access:http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnagi.2010.00030/full
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spelling doaj-0ad324faeb2a4cbd89458a329aa873be2020-11-25T00:58:22ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience1663-43652010-08-01210.3389/fnagi.2010.000301719Exercise as an intervention for the age-related decline in brain metabolic supportBrenda J Anderson0Shayri J Greenwood1Daniel P McCloskey2Stony Brook UniversityStony Brook UniversityCollege of Staten Island, City University of New York To identify interventions for brain aging, we must first identify the processes in which we hope to intervene. Brain aging is a period of decreasing functional capacity and increasing vulnerability, which reflect a reduction in morphological organization and perhaps degeneration. Since life is ultimately dependent upon the ability to maintain cellular organization through metabolism, this review explores evidence for a decline in neural metabolic support during aging, which includes a reduction in whole brain cerebral blood flow, and cellular metabolic capacity. Capillary density may also decrease with age, although the results are less clear. Exercise may be a highly effective intervention for brain aging, because it improves the cardiovascular system as a whole, and increases regional capillary density and neuronal metabolic capacity. Although the evidence is strongest for motor regions, more work may yield additional evidence for exercise-related improvement in metabolic support in non-motor regions. The protective effects of exercise may be specific to brain region and the type of insult. For example, exercise protects striatal cells from ischemia, but it produces mixed results after hippocampal seizures. Exercise can improve metabolic support and bioenergetic capacity in adult animals, but it remains to be determined whether it has similar effects in aging animals. What is clear is that exercise can influence the multiple levels of support necessary for maintaining optimal neuronal function, which is unique among proposed interventions for aging.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnagi.2010.00030/fullExerciseMetabolismMotor CortexSeizuresphysical activitycapillary density
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Brenda J Anderson
Shayri J Greenwood
Daniel P McCloskey
spellingShingle Brenda J Anderson
Shayri J Greenwood
Daniel P McCloskey
Exercise as an intervention for the age-related decline in brain metabolic support
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
Exercise
Metabolism
Motor Cortex
Seizures
physical activity
capillary density
author_facet Brenda J Anderson
Shayri J Greenwood
Daniel P McCloskey
author_sort Brenda J Anderson
title Exercise as an intervention for the age-related decline in brain metabolic support
title_short Exercise as an intervention for the age-related decline in brain metabolic support
title_full Exercise as an intervention for the age-related decline in brain metabolic support
title_fullStr Exercise as an intervention for the age-related decline in brain metabolic support
title_full_unstemmed Exercise as an intervention for the age-related decline in brain metabolic support
title_sort exercise as an intervention for the age-related decline in brain metabolic support
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
series Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
issn 1663-4365
publishDate 2010-08-01
description To identify interventions for brain aging, we must first identify the processes in which we hope to intervene. Brain aging is a period of decreasing functional capacity and increasing vulnerability, which reflect a reduction in morphological organization and perhaps degeneration. Since life is ultimately dependent upon the ability to maintain cellular organization through metabolism, this review explores evidence for a decline in neural metabolic support during aging, which includes a reduction in whole brain cerebral blood flow, and cellular metabolic capacity. Capillary density may also decrease with age, although the results are less clear. Exercise may be a highly effective intervention for brain aging, because it improves the cardiovascular system as a whole, and increases regional capillary density and neuronal metabolic capacity. Although the evidence is strongest for motor regions, more work may yield additional evidence for exercise-related improvement in metabolic support in non-motor regions. The protective effects of exercise may be specific to brain region and the type of insult. For example, exercise protects striatal cells from ischemia, but it produces mixed results after hippocampal seizures. Exercise can improve metabolic support and bioenergetic capacity in adult animals, but it remains to be determined whether it has similar effects in aging animals. What is clear is that exercise can influence the multiple levels of support necessary for maintaining optimal neuronal function, which is unique among proposed interventions for aging.
topic Exercise
Metabolism
Motor Cortex
Seizures
physical activity
capillary density
url http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnagi.2010.00030/full
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