Sport slows neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s

A study developed at the Biomedicine Institute of Seville (IBIS) for four years with 120 patients has provided new data on how Regular exercise practice can stop neurodegenerative processes that affect cognition in Parkinson’s disease. The analysis has been led by researchers Pablo Mir and Michel Grothewith Patricia Diaz-Galvan as the first author.

As reported by the University of Seville (US) in a press release, these discoveries, recently published in the scientific journal Neurology“They open the door to review current therapeutic strategies and incorporate physical exercise as an essential tool to slow down the progression of this neurodegenerative disease.”

Parkinson’s disease affects more than ten million people worldwide and is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative pathology, only behind Alzheimer’s. Until now, therapeutic strategies “have focused mainly on palliative treatments aimed at relieving motor symptoms.”

However, in recent years physical activity has emerged as “A promising intervention, with potential not only to improve motor function, but also to influence the progression of the disease”has affirmed the us.

Various studies have shown that physical exercise regulate not only mitigates motor symptoms, but also can slow or reduce the advance of other symptoms associated with Parkinson, such as cognitive deterioration. The latter, which may even appear in early phases of the disease, has a high prevalence and a deep impact on the autonomy and quality of life of patients and their families.

In this way, understanding how the regular practice of physical exercise affects in the long term to the evolution of the disease defined by the appearance and progression of cognitive impairment is “key” to design strategies that help improve the lives of people with Parkinson’s.

In this context, can physical activity stop the processes of brain degeneration and become an intervention capable of modifying the natural evolution of Parkinson’s disease? According to the researchers, Neuroimagen is presented here as an “essential tool”allowing to directly observe changes in the brain and reveal the biological mechanisms that support the benefits of exercise in the Parkinson’s.

To investigate how physical activity can influence the progression of Parkinson’s disease, the team has analyzed data from 120 patients in initial phases of the disease, previously collected in the international cohort Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI).

Along these lines, the project, which “follows hundreds of people with Parkinson’s from their diagnosis”, has offered a “unique opportunity” for study brain changes over time.

For four years of monitoring, PPMI cohort participants were periodically evaluated at their physical activity levels through the questionnaire Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (pass)and underwent high -resolution magnetic resonances that allow analyzing the brain structure.

These images served to measure the thickness of the cerebral cortex and the volume of deep structures such as the hippocampus and the tonsil, “key” areas of neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease.

Also, the first author of the study, the doctor Patricia DíazHe explained that “thanks to the analysis of these longitudinal data we have been able to observe how regular exercise is associated with a lower loss of brain tissue in regions vulnerable to Parkinson.”

Benefits provided by physical activity

The study has shown that Parkinson’s patients maintained a higher level of physical activity over time presented a “Less loss of cortical thickness in key regions of the temporal and parietal cortex”as well as a “Less atrophy in deep structures such as hippocampus and tonsil”.

These areas of the brain are directly related to fundamental cognitive functionssince the temporarietal cortex intervenes in the attention and processing of information, the hippocampus is key to memory and learning, and the amygdala participates in regulation and emotional memory.

In a “especially relevant” way, statistical analyzes showed that “the neuroprotective effect of the exercise on these regions measured much of the benefits observed in cognitive performance,” experts have stated.

That is, the preservation of the brain structure due to physical activity explained in part why The most active patients obtained better results In verbal memory tasks, sustained attention and information processing speed.

“We knew that exercise helps improve Parkinson’s motor symptoms, but these findings go further: they show that physical activity protects areas of the brain criticism for cognitive function and that this neuroprotective effect is a key piece in the delay of cognitive deterioration,” said the doctor Pablo Mirmain investigator of the study. The doctor also added that this “reinforces the need to consider regular exercise as a fundamental pillar in the treatment of Parkinson’s from the earliest phases.”

On the other hand, the research has been possible due to the collaboration of the Biomedical Research Center of Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), University of Seville, Centro Alzheimer Foundation Reina Sofía (Fundación Hundred), and University of Gothenburg (Sweden).

Finally, the investigation has been funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain and Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII) with the co-financing of: the European Union, the Ministry of Economy, Innovation, Science and Employment of the Junta de Andalucía, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of the Junta de Andalucía, the Ministry of Health and Consumption of the Junt Universities of the Junta de Andalucía.