A new study suggests that exercise can directly improve brain function by activating specialized cells involved in insulin response in the brain. Researchers found that physical activity increases the number of neuronal extracellular vesicles carrying proteins involved in insulin sensitivity, particularly Akt. This improvement in brain insulin sensitivity may help offset or even prevent dementia progression.
Scientists have shown that specialized cells involved in how the body responds to insulin are activated in the brain after exercise, suggesting that physical activity may directly improve brain function.
Extracellular vesicles, once dismissed by researchers as"cell dust," have in the past 15 years grown exponentially in recognition as important players in the microscopic world of the human body, facilitating transport of key molecules such as proteins between cells. For this study, the scientists targeted vesicles produced in the brain that ferry several proteins involved in insulin sensitivity -- one of which is called Akt.
"We showed for the first time that exercise impacts insulin signaling from neuronal extracellular vesicles in relation to clinical improvements in blood sugar," Malin said."And we use these neuronal extracellular vesicles as an indicator of brain insulin sensitivity." "If insulin is insufficient in the brain, that means not only will brain cells become potentially dysfunctional, but also they may fail to interact with each other properly," Malin said."It's like playing the game telephone with a friend. At some point the message gets lost when the brain becomes insulin resistant."
EXERCISE BRAIN FUNCTION INSULIN SENSITIVITY DEMENTIA NEURONAL VESICLES
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