- BDNF (130)
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Summary
Alzheimer's
disease is one of the biggest medical challenges of our time. About 30
million people worldwide are living with Alzheimer's disease, and the
numbers are predicted to increase to 100 million by 2050 if we do not
find effective prevention or treatment strategies (1).
Substantial evidence suggests that leading a healthy lifestyle,
including regular exercise, may lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's
disease. However, the mechanisms through which exercise protects the
brain and whether we could bottle these as a treatment remain
controversial. On page 991 of this issue, Choi et al. (2)
reveal that in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, exercise improves
memory through a combination of encouraging neurogenesis in the
hippocampus and increasing the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic
factor (BDNF), a growth factor that supports neuronal survival. Their
findings suggest that agents that promote both BDNF signaling and
neurogenesis might be effective in preventing or treating Alzheimer's
disease.
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