Scientists have found that an injection of specific blood molecules can replicate the benefits of exercise in the brain, paving the way for potential new treatments for age-related cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease patients.
The study, published recently in the journal Nature Communications, found that platelets, the tiny blood cells critical for blood clotting, secrete a protein that rejuvenates neurons in aged mice in a similar way to physical exercise.
“We know exercise increases the production of new neurons in the hippocampus, the part of the brain important for learning and memory, but the mechanism hasn’t been clear,” said Odette Leiter from the University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia.
