The key to the benefits of physical exercise versus aging of the brain could be in a protein

2020/07/09 Gallego Moya, Juanma - Kazetaria Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Osasuna
• Medikuntza
• Biologia

The key to the benefits of physical exercise against brain aging can be in a hepatic protein, so far little studied, according to a study published in the journal Science: based on tests in rats, a group of researchers has concluded that the protein Gpld1 that forms in the liver plays a fundamental role in cognitive aging.

Therefore, they have proposed that the discovery can open the way to design drugs against brain aging. They say that above all it can be beneficial for people who can't exercise, to curb the development of diseases like Alzheimer's and frontal dementia.

As they have seen in the laboratory, rats that do physical exercise produce this protein at levels higher than those that do not exercise, and have proven that this protein provides a cognitive benefit to old rats. In addition, by inserting the blood plasma of sport practitioners in rats that have not done sport, they have obtained cognitive benefits and have come to the conclusion that Gpld1 can be a key protein. Although this is an animal research, it has also been found that in older people who exercise, the levels of the same protein are higher.