parabiosis
Creative Minds: The Muscle-Brain Connection
Posted on by Dr. Francis Collins
There’s mounting evidence that exercise has a powerful effect on the human brain. For example, many studies have shown that physical activity appears to reduce the incidence of depression. Exercise can also delay or possibly even prevent Alzheimer’s disease, as well as easing symptoms in people who have these disorders [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. But how, exactly, does getting our legs moving and our hearts pumping exert a positive influence on our brains?
Two scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine are out to get some answers to this important question. They have proposed that when we exercise, our muscles secrete a factor or combination of factors into the bloodstream, leading to structural and functional changes in the brain.
Can Something in Young Blood Give a Boost to Old Brains?
Posted on by Dr. Francis Collins
Infusing blood from younger creatures into older ones in hopes of halting—or even reversing—the aging process may sound like a macabre scene straight out of “Game of Thrones.” However, several scientific studies have shown that when older animals receive blood from younger counterparts, it improves the function of stem cells throughout the body, boosting tissue regeneration and healing. What’s not been clear is whether this activity can also rejuvenate the brain’s cognitive powers.
Let’s face it: aging is tough on the brain. The number of neural stem cells shrinks, producing fewer neurons; and many of the genes that promote brain development and neural connections become less active. To find out if young blood might hold some of the answers to this complex problem, two teams of NIH-funded researchers—one in Massachusetts and the other in California—recently turned to mice as a model system.
