Physical Exercise and Brain Mitochondrial Fitness: The Possible Role Against Alzheimer's Disease.
Exercise is one of the most effective strategies to maintain a healthy body and mind, with particular beneficial effects of exercise on promoting brain plasticity, increasing cognition and reducing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia in later life. Moreover, the beneficial effects resulting from increased physical activity occur at different levels of cellular organization, mitochondria being preferential target organelles. The relevance of this review article relies on the need to integrate the current knowledge of proposed mechanisms, focus mitochondria, to explain the protective effects of exercise that might underlie neuroplasticity and seeks to synthesize these data in the context of exploring exercise as a feasible intervention to delay cognitive impairment associated with neurodegenerative conditions, particularly Alzheimer disease.
CIAFEL-Research Centre in Physical Activity, , Health and Leisure, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal. telmasbernardo@gmail.com.
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Bernardo
CIAFEL-Research Centre in Physical Activity, , Health and Leisure, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
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Marques-Aleixo
CIAFEL-Research Centre in Physical Activity, , Health and Leisure, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
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Beleza
CNC-Centre for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, UC-Biotech, Biocant Park, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
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Oliveira
CIAFEL-Research Centre in Physical Activity, , Health and Leisure, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
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Ascensão
CIAFEL-Research Centre in Physical Activity, , Health and Leisure, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
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Magalhães
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000502:physiology*; D028361:Mitochondrial Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
D016875:tau Proteins
Alzheimer's disease; exercise; mitochondria