Transcriptomic Analyses of Exercise Training in Alzheimer's Disease Cerebral Cortex

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Genomics

Background:

• Exercise is known to alleviate Alzheimer's disease (AD) symptoms.
• The precise molecular mechanisms, particularly in the cortex, remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate molecular pathways in the AD mouse cortex affected by exercise training.
• To identify significant gene expression changes and signaling pathways influenced by exercise.

Main Methods:

• RNA-sequencing and differential gene expression analysis were performed on the cerebral cortex of 3xTg AD mice.
• Mice were divided into control (AD) and exercise training (AD-EX) groups, with swimming exercise for 1 month.
• Functional enrichment and GSOAP clustering analyses were conducted.

Main Results:

• 412 genes were significantly differentially expressed between AD and AD-EX groups.
• Upregulated genes were linked to neuroinflammation (e.g., interferon alpha beta signaling).
• Downregulated genes were associated with vascularization, memory, and extracellular matrix organization.

Conclusions:

• Exercise modulates the 3xTg mouse cortex transcriptome.
• Key changes include upregulation of interferon alpha beta signaling and downregulation of extracellular matrix organization.
• These findings provide molecular targets for AD interventions.