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Updated: Jun 21, 2025
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Getting to Compliance in Forced Exercise in Rodents: A Critical Standard to Evaluate Exercise Impact in Aging-related Disorders and Disease
Published on: August 22, 2014
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Ageing, Cognitive Decline, and Effects of Physical Exercise: Complexities, and Considerations from Animal Models
Maria Giovanna Caruso1,2, Sarah Nicolas1,2, Paul J Lucassen3,4
1Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Ireland.
Brain Plasticity (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
|July 12, 2024
Summary
Physical exercise can enhance adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN), a process vital for cognition that declines with age. This review explores how different exercise types in rodents may combat age-related cognitive decline and discusses the gut-brain axis.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Exercise Science
Background:
- Age-related cognitive decline and dementia pose significant healthcare challenges.
- Preventative strategies are crucial as effective treatments are lacking.
- Physical exercise is a promising non-pharmacological intervention for brain health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and compare exercise paradigms in preclinical rodent studies.
- To examine the effects of exercise on age-related cognitive decline and adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN).
- To explore the role of the gut-brain axis in exercise-mediated cognitive benefits.
Main Methods:
- Comparative review of exercise paradigms in rodent models.
- Analysis of existing literature on exercise, aging, cognition, and AHN.
- Discussion of emerging research on the gut microbiota and gut-brain axis.
Main Results:
- Physical exercise enhances AHN, a key factor in cognitive function.
- Different exercise types show varying effects on cognitive performance in aging rodents.
- The gut-brain axis presents a potential pathway for optimizing exercise benefits.
Conclusions:
- Preclinical rodent research is vital for understanding exercise-induced cognitive benefits.
- Optimized exercise protocols can inform clinical strategies for preventing cognitive decline.
- Targeting the gut-brain axis may enhance exercise's positive impact on aging brains.
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