Exercise Effects on Synuclein Aggregation, Neuroinflammation, and Neurodegeneration
Abstract
Preclinical and clinical studies suggest that exercise therapy may slow the progression of Parkinsons disease (PD) however overall results are inconclusive. The present application seeks to use an optimized preclinical model of PD to examine whether exercise therapy can protect against alpha-synuclein accumulation and the subsequent loss of neurons in PD, the mechanism whereby the effects of exercise may occur and the effect on behavior affected in PD including motor, cognitive, and neuropsychiatric function. We have nearly completed all the behavioral and postmortem analyses of Specific Aim 1 and have observed that treadmill exercise may: 1) improve deficits in forelimb movement initiation induced by synucleinopathy and 2)reduce synuclein pathology in the motor cortex. Results from this research could help individuals afflicted by PD. If exercise is truly disease-modifying then it would provide a much needed, non-invasive, non-pharmacological, low-cost therapeutic strategy for PD patients and at-risk populations, including military veterans. Exercise therapy could be made readily available through hospitals and VA systems across the country.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1158150
Entities
People
- Caryl E. Sortwell
- Sheila M. Fleming
Organizations
- Michigan State University