Scientists from the Roman Catholic University Campus have proven that intense exercise can slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease. The research was published in the journal Science Advances.
Previous research has shown that intense physical activity is associated with increased production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a substance that controls the growth of brain nerve cells. In a new study, scientists were able to replicate these results in an animal experiment: four weeks of daily treadmill training slowed the progression of Parkinson’s disease in early-stage mice.
This effect was associated with a slowdown in the spread of alpha-synuclein protein aggregates accumulated in Parkinson’s disease throughout the brain. Thanks to this, dopamine-producing nerve cells in the rat brain survived longer, and the animals themselves retained better control over their movements even after training was suspended.
“In the future, it will be possible to identify new therapeutic targets and functional markers that should be considered when developing non-drug treatments in combination with existing drugs,” the scientists said.
Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease in which movement control is gradually lost due to the death of dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brain.
ancient scientists to create new risk factor for prostate cancer.