2022, Vol. 26 ›› Issue (26): 4216-4223

Effects of aerobic exercise intervention on synaptic plasticity in Alzheimer’s disease patients

Yang Jinxin1, Wang Kun1, Zhao Jing1, Chen Peijie1, Zhang Tingran1, Lu Wenyun2, Luo Jiong1   

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system with the loss of brain cells and neurons, mainly manifested as cognitive dysfunction and memory decline. Abnormal synaptic plasticity is an important cause of cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Numerous studies have shown that aerobic exercise can significantly improve patient’s cognitive decline due to Alzheimer’s disease; however, there is a lack of systematic and comprehensive understanding of the mechanism by which aerobic exercise improves synaptic plasticity as well as the effect of aerobic exercise on synaptic plasticity.
OBJECTIVE: To comprehensively review the domestic and foreign literature on the synaptic plasticity induced by aerobic exercise stimulation and its alleviation of cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease patients, and to reveal the mechanism by which aerobic exercise improves cognitive function of Alzheimer’s disease patients, so as to provide theoretical basis and practical reference for the prevention and delay of Alzheimer’s disease progression by aerobic exercise.
METHODS: The first author retrieved relevant literature in ELSEVIER, Web of Science, PubMed, CNKI, and WanFang using the keywords of “aerobic exercise, synaptic plasticity, cognitive function, exercise training, physical activity, cognitive neuroscience, Alzheimer’s disease” in English and Chinese, respectively. As per the inclusion criteria, 82 documents were finally selected and discussed.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Aerobic exercise can activate brain synaptic plasticity at molecular level to improve cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. (1) Aerobic exercise can inhibit amyloid β deposition and aberrant phosphorylation of Tau protein, promote brain neurotrophic factor expression, regulate mitochondrial biogenesis, and reduce mitochondrial dysfunction through molecular signaling pathways, thereby improving brain microenvironment and stimulating the positive changes in synaptic plasticity. (2) Aerobic exercise intervention has a positive effect on to the cognitive function of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Low-intensity aerobic exercise can improve the expression of synaptic plasticity-related proteins and reduce synaptic loss. High-frequency aerobic exercise can promote an increase in synaptic density. Mid-and-long-term can continuously up-regulate the level of synaptic-related proteins in the brain and maintain the changes in synaptic plasticity. (3) Aerobic exercise is a complex variable, and interventions for Alzheimer’s disease need to be individualized as per patient’s conditions, and appropriate exercise prescriptions should be taken according to the severity of the disease.
Key words: aerobic exercise, Alzheimer’s disease, cognitive function, synaptic plasticity, neurotrophic factor, mitochondrial genesis, exercise frequency, exercise time, exercise intensity