Gene discovery may lead to ‘exercise pill' for Alzheimer's patients

Independent

7 hours ago

Scientists have identified specific brain cells which respond most to exercise, an advance that could lead to a pill to boost the benefits Alzheimer's patients receive from exercise.
The study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, reveals further insights into the connection between exercise and the brain and can point to future drug targets.
'While we've long known that exercise helps protect the brain, we didn't fully understand which cells were responsible or how it worked at a molecular level,' said study co-author Christiane D. Wrann from Mass General Brigham in the US.
'Now, we have a detailed map of how exercise impacts each major cell type in the memory centre of the brain in Alzheimer's disease,' Dr Wrann said.
In the study, scientists focused on the brain's hippocampus – a key region for memory and learning that is damaged early in Alzheimer's disease.
Using cutting-edge technology to peer into the molecules inside individual cell nuclei, researchers looked at the gene activity in single cells for an in-depth understanding of diseases like Alzheimer's.
They used a common mouse model for Alzheimer's disease, which ran on wheels for the benefit of improved memory compared to the sedentary rodents.
Researchers then analysed the individual cells in the brain of these mice.
They found that the rodents running on wheels had changed activity in Alzheimer's disease-associated microglia cells, which are located throughout the brain and spinal cord.
Scientists also found altered activity linked to exercise in a specific cell type called Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, which are linked to blood vessels in the brain.
They probed even further to find that a gene named Atpif1 was an important regulator in creating new nerve cells in the brain.
'That we were able to modulate newborn neurons using our new target genes set underscores the promise our study,' said study lead author Joana Da Rocha.
Researchers then validated their discoveries in a large dataset of human Alzheimer's brain tissue, finding striking similarities.
'This work not only sheds light on how exercise benefits the brain but also uncovers potential cell-specific targets for future Alzheimer's therapies,' said Nathan Tucker, another author of the study.
'Together, these data present a comprehensive resource for understanding the molecular mediators of neuroprotection by exercise in Alzheimer's disease,' scientists wrote.