2023-07-22 21:14:55
The neuroprotective effect of physical activity is associated with the survival of neurons that release the neurotransmitter dopamine.
Intensive physical activity can delay the progression of Parkinson’s disease by improving brain plasticity and neuronal survival, according to a study by the Catholic University, Rome Campus, and the A. Gemelli IRCCS Polyclinic Foundation. The findings may guide the development of new non-drug treatments for the disease.
A team of neuroscientists has discovered that intense exercise might slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease. They have also described the biological mechanisms underlying this process, providing potential avenues for new non-pharmacological treatment approaches. The study has just been published in the journal Science Advances.
Paolo Calabresi, Professor of Neurology at the Catholic University and Director of Neurology at the UOC at the A. Gemelli IRCCS University Polyclinic, stated: “We have discovered a mechanism never before observed, through which exercise carried out in the early stages of the disease induces beneficial effects on movement control that can last over time even following stopping training.”
This discovery provides potential avenues for new non-pharmacological treatment approaches.
Previous research had indicated that vigorous physical activity was linked to increased production of a vital growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). The authors successfully replicated this phenomenon using a four-week treadmill training protocol in an animal model of early-stage Parkinson’s disease. They demonstrated, for the first time, how this neurotrophic factor contributes to the beneficial effects of physical activity on the brain.
The study, led by doctors Gioia Marino and Federica Campanelli, researchers at the Catholic University of Rome School of Medicine, provided experimental support for the neuroprotective effect of exercise. They employed a multidisciplinary approach using different techniques to measure improvements in neural survival, brain plasticity, motor control, and visuospatial cognition.
A key observation was that daily treadmill training sessions reduced the spread of pathological alpha-synuclein aggregates. In Parkinson’s disease, they cause a gradual and progressive dysfunction of neurons in specific areas of the brain (the compact part of the substantia nigra and the striatum, which constitute the so-called nigrostriatal pathway) essential for motor control.
“We have discovered a never-before-seen mechanism through which exercise performed in the early stages of the disease induces beneficial effects on movement control that can last over time even following training is discontinued,” explained the author of the study.
The neuroprotective effect of physical activity is associated with the survival of neurons that release the neurotransmitter dopamine. This survival is crucial to the ability of striatals to express a dopamine-dependent form of plasticity, which is otherwise affected by disease.
Consequently, motor control and visuospatial learning, both dependent on nigrostriatal activity, are preserved in animals subjected to intensive training.
The study also revealed that BDNF, whose levels increase with exercise, interacts with the NMDA receptor for glutamate. This interaction allows neurons in the striatum to respond effectively to stimuli, with effects that last beyond the period of exercise.
The study used a multidisciplinary approach using different techniques to measure improvements in neuronal survival, brain plasticity, motor control, and visuospatial cognition Gettyimages
Calabresi said: “Our research team is involved in a clinical trial to test whether intense exercise can identify new markers to monitor slowing of disease progression in early-stage patients and profile disease progression. As Parkinson’s disease is characterized by important neuroinflammatory and neuroimmune components, which play a key role in the early stages of the disease, research will continue to explore the involvement of glial cells, highly specialized groups of cells that provide physical and chemical support to neurons and their environment. This will allow us to identify the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the observed beneficial effects.”
The working team was completed with Gioia Marino, Federica Campanelli, Giuseppina Natale, Maria De Carluccio, Federica Servillo, Elena Ferrari, Fabrizio Gardoni, Maria Emiliana Caristo, Barbara Picconi, Antonella Cardinale, Vittorio Loffredo, Francesco Crupi, Elvira De Leonibus, Maria Teresa Viscomi and Veronica Ghiglieri.
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