title: Personalising exercise recommendations for brain health: considerations and future directions.
abstract: The societal value of strategies that delay the onset and progression of dementia cannot be overstated. Physical activity-unstructured and structured-is a promising, cost-effective strategy for the promotion of brain health. However, a large degree of variation exists in its efficacy. Therefore, to increase its utility as 'medication' for healthy cognitive ageing, it is imperative to identify key moderators and mediators of the positive effects of targeted exercise training on brain health. In this commentary, we focus on the type of targeted exercise training, the determinants of individual variation, including biological sex and genotypic factors, and the mechanisms by which exercise exerts its influence on the brain. We argue that a better understanding of these factors will allow for evidence-based, personalised, tailored exercise recommendations that go beyond the one-size-fits-all approach to successfully combat dementia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.|Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Cindy K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Barha
authors.affiliation: Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.|Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Liisa A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Galea
authors.affiliation: School of Kinesiology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Lindsay S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Nagamatsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Kirk I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Erickson
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.|Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Liu-Ambrose
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000502:physiology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003704:Dementia / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055070:Resistance Training; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; C579455:BDNF protein, human
keywords: Brain; Exercise; Gender; Genetics; Physical activity