Staying Active in Old Age May Protect Your Brain
New research has found that staying active in old age can increase the amount of a specific class of proteins in our synapses that help maintain healthy brain function.
Synapses are the tiny gaps between neurons that allow a signal or message to pass from one neuron to the next.
The study's lead author Kaitlin Casaletto told CNN that synapses are critical communication junctions. "All of our thinking and memory occurs as a result of these synaptic communications," she explained.
Casaletto's team analyzed protein levels in 404 people in the US who had donated their brains to science as part of the Rush University Memory and Aging Project.
As part of the project, the late-life physical activity of the participants was tracked using an activity monitor that participants wore continuously for between 24 hours and 10 days during one or more data collection periods.
Casaletto said that, on average, the people studied were 70 to 80 years old. The average age at death was 90, according to the study.
The team found that participants who stayed active had higher levels of protective synaptic proteins. These proteins were even found to benefit people whose brains showed signs of toxic proteins linked to diseases like Alzheimer's.
"There are many proteins present at the synapse that help facilitate different aspects of the cell-to-cell communication. Those proteins need to be in balance with one another," Casaletto told CNN.
Casaletto recommended 150 minutes of exercise per week, adding that earlier studies have shown that even walking can help maintain healthy brain function.
"I think these findings begin to support the dynamic nature of the brain in response to our activities," she told CNN. Casaletto and her colleagues believe that regular physical activity may build synaptic health "even at late ages."
