‘Exercise hormone’ may prevent memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease

Written by Sharon Salt (Editor)

A recently published study in Nature Medicine has indicated that a brain-boosting hormone released by muscles during physical activity is reduced in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The exercise-linked hormone, termed FNDC5/irisin, has been reported to mediate the benefit of exercise in AD models by enhancing synaptic plasticity and memory. Within the study, researchers examined around 20 post-mortem brain specimens from elderly adults and found that individuals who had advanced Alzheimer’s had lower levels of irisin in the hippocampus, compared with those who had earlier stage disease or normal brain function. Experiments were then carried out on mice with Alzheimer’s-like...

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