Elsevier

Ageing Research Reviews

Volume 64, December 2020, 101147
Ageing Research Reviews

Harnessing the effects of endurance exercise to optimize cognitive health: Fundamental insights from Dr. Mark P. Mattson

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2020.101147Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Research led by Dr. Mark P. Mattson has significantly advanced the understanding of how energetic stress benefits cognitive health and aging.

  • Endurance exercise causes energetic stress and stimulates neurogenesis and neuroplasticity in brain regions involved in learning and memory.

  • Endurance exercise counters age-related changes in brain structure, function, and resilience through a diverse set of circulating factors.

  • In the face of population aging and a growing burden of neurodegenerative conditions, promoting physical activity would benefit public health.

Abstract

Dr. Mark Mattson has had a highly productive and impactful tenure as a neuroscientist at the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Aging. He has made notable contributions to understanding the mechanisms by which energetic stress, imparted by behaviors such as physical activity and periods of fasting, promotes rejuvenation and resilience within brain regions critical for learning and memory. In honor of Dr. Mattson’s work, this manuscript will highlight the fascinating mechanisms by which endurance exercise training conveys beneficial effects upon the structure and function of the nervous system; that is, by mediating the synthesis and secretion of factors that directly support brain homeostasis, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor, FNDC5/irisin, ketone bodies, growth factors, cathepsin B, serotonin, and 4-hydroxynonenal. The molecular and cellular effects of these factors are discussed herein. In the face of population aging and an overwhelming surge in the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders, Dr. Mattson’s work as a champion and role model for physically active lifestyles is more important than ever.

Section snippets

Introduction: on your Mark!

The transformation of human societies from preindustrial, to industrial, to postindustrial has been paralleled by changes in the threats to human health and longevity. In this digital era, sedentary lifestyles, limitless supplies of energy-dense nutrient-poor foods, tobacco use, and alcohol abuse are widely recognized for their influence on the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, cancers, respiratory diseases, and diabetes; the major drivers of disability and death amongst older adults.

Final re-Marks

Advances in the biological understanding of aging have led to a search for interventions to delay, prevent, or even cure age-related diseases as a group. Indeed, such therapies would have a transformative impact on human health. Throughout his career, Dr. Mattson has been a vocal champion and a role model for energetic interventions based on lifestyle choices, not pharmacological regimens, that counter the very pillars of aging and, in turn, thwart the diseases and disabilities that compromise

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the support of the National Institutes of Aging, National Institutes of HealthAG053832, AG044170 (NKL) and AG058798 (MJS). Moreover, the authors are grateful for the artwork of Sabrina Brady featured in Fig. 1.

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