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Aerobic exercise reverses aging-induced depth-dependent decline in cerebral microcirculation
Paul Shin1, Qi Pian1, Hidehiro Ishikawa2
1Athinoula A Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, United States.
Elife
|July 4, 2023
Summary
Aerobic exercise improves brain microcirculation and cognitive function in aging mice. Exercise benefits deep brain regions and white matter, counteracting age-related decline.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Aging Research
- Exercise Physiology
Background:
- Aging is a primary risk factor for cognitive impairment.
- Aerobic exercise is known to benefit brain function and cognitive health in older adults.
- The biological mechanisms underlying these effects, particularly in cerebral gray and white matter, remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how aerobic exercise affects age-induced changes in cerebral microcirculation.
- To determine if exercise can rescue deficits in microvascular perfusion and oxygenation in aging mice.
- To explore the depth-dependent effects of exercise on the aging brain's microvasculature.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative examination of cerebral microvascular physiology in young and aged mice.
- Comparison of sedentary and aerobically exercising aged mice.
- Assessment of microvascular perfusion and oxygenation in superficial and deep cortical layers, and subcortical white matter.
Main Results:
- Aging significantly reduced microvascular perfusion and oxygenation, especially in deep cortical layers and white matter.
- Five months of aerobic exercise partially restored microcirculation in aged mice.
- Exercise-induced microcirculatory improvements correlated with enhanced cognitive function.
Conclusions:
- Deep cortical layers and subcortical white matter are selectively vulnerable to age-related microcirculatory decline.
- Aerobic exercise can modulate and improve aging-induced microcirculatory deficits in a depth-dependent manner.
- These microcirculatory benefits of exercise are associated with improved cognitive performance in aging.
Keywords:
agingcerebral microcirculationcerebral oxygenationexercisemouseneurosciencetwo-photon microscopywhite matterMore Related Videos
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