Fitness Level Correlates
with Increased Blood Flow to Essential Areas of the Brain
Newswise , May 17, 2016-- Recent research suggests that
exercise might provide some measure of protection from Alzheimer’s disease and
other dementias.
A group of researchers led by Nathan Johnson PT, DPT, PhD of
the University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences, was able to demonstrate
a positive correlation between fitness and blood flow to areas of the brain
where the hallmark tangles and plaques of AD pathology are usually first
detected.
Thirty men and women ages 59-69 were put through treadmill
fitness assessments and ultrasounds of the heart. Then they received brain
scans to look for blood flow to certain areas of the brain.
“We set out to characterize the relationship between heart
function, fitness, and cerebral blood flow, which no other study had explored
to date,” Johnson said.
“In other words, if you’re in good physical shape, does that
improve blood flow to critical areas of the brain? And does that improved blood
flow provide some form of protection from dementia?”
The results showed blood flow to critical areas of the brain –
and so the supply of oxygen and vital nutrients – was higher in those who were
more physically fit.
In layman’s terms, this study demonstrates that regular
exercise at any age could keep the mind young, according to Johnson.
“Can we prove irrefutably that increased fitness will prevent
Alzheimer’s disease? Not at this point,” Johnson said.
“But this is an important first step towards demonstrating
that being physically active improves blood flow to the brain and confers some
protection from dementia, and conversely that people who live sedentary
lifestyles, especially those who are genetically predisposed to Alzheimer’s,
might be more susceptible.”
Since people who exercise frequently often have reduced
arterial stiffness, Johnson and his group postulate that regular physical
activity – regardless of age – maintains the integrity of the “pipes” that
carry blood to the brain.
“In the mid-late 20th century, much of the research into
dementias like Alzheimer’s focused on vascular contributions to disease, but
the discovery of amyloid plaques and tangles took prevailing research in a
different direction” Johnson said.
“Research like this heralds a return to the exploration of the
ways the vascular system contributes to the disease process.”
Johnson’s research, which was supported by a grant from the
National Institutes of Health CTSA (UL1TR000117) and the University of
Kentucky's Clinical Services Core, was published in the current issue of
NeuroImage.
