How Exercise Fights Brain Diseases
Research Shows Exercise Protects Against and Fights Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and More
Take-Home Message: A personalized combination of regular aerobic exercise, resistance training, and wellness practices can reduce the likelihood of developing neurodegenerative diseases, slow their progression, and alleviate symptoms of those already diagnosed.
Exercise is known to play a significant role in enhancing cognitive function and promoting neuroplasticity. Recently, scientists around the globe have found supporting evidence that exercise reduces the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to adapt by forming, strengthening, or weakening connections for optimized functionality. This phenomenon is responsible for learning, forgetting, responding to changes, and other important cognitive functions. Exercise drives neuroplasticity, which serves as a protective mechanism against various brain and other health conditions.
Individuals with neurodegenerative disorders begin losing this neuroplastic ability due to unhealthy biomarker aggregations, like amyloid beta and tau. The presence of these protein clumps hinders cell functioning, resulting in inflammation, oxidative stress, and cell death. The diseased brain can no longer adapt properly.
However, physical activity promotes neuroplasticity, even in patients with these conditions.
Aerobic exercise has been shown to enhance neuronal connectivity, resulting in improved learning and memory performance. This improvement is due to the increased levels of BDNF, a protein that, when stimulated through exercise, promotes neuroplasticity and neurogenesis in the hippocampus.
Resistance exercises also impact neuroplasticity by promoting insulin and myokine transportation across the blood-brain barrier, which enhances brain health. Mind-body practices, like yoga, reduce stress and help regulate emotions, leading to neuroplasticity, flexibility, and balance.
Below, I’ll discuss the recent findings relevant to different neurodegenerative diseases.
Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias
Studies show that physical activity can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by up to 20%, as well as reduce the cognitive decline in those with mild cognitive impairment and early AD. Even 5 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day showed a 41% lower risk of developing dementia, 10 minutes a day, a 60% lower risk, and 20+ minutes a day, a 69% decrease in risk.
Aerobic exercise (for 30-40 minutes per day, 3-4 times a week) has been shown to enhance synaptic plasticity, promote neuron formation, increase volume in the hippocampus, and improve memory performance. Resistance training supports these benefits by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, key markers of AD. Combining aerobic exercise and resistance training yields improved cognitive benefits compared to using either method alone.
In early Alzheimer’s Disease, progressive morning exercise programs (low → high intensity) show sustained cognitive benefits. Regular physical activity also shows benefits to other dementias, such as frontotemporal and vascular dementia.
Parkinson’s Disease
Engaging in physical activity has profound impacts on Parkinson’s patients, for both cognitive and motor symptoms. Parkinson’s patients suffer from low dopamine signalling in a region called the basal ganglia. This leads to a complex array of motor symptoms.
Important Notes on Parkinson’s:
The loss of dopamine in the basal ganglia is different from the dopamine utilized in the reward pathway.
The presence of the dark dopaminergic cells is characteristic of healthy functioning.
One study found that high-intensity aerobic exercise three times a week enhanced dopamine signaling in the basal ganglia. Moderate-intensity exercise reduced the risk of falls and increased gait mobility. Resistance training improved postural stability.
A recent Yale study found that high-intensity exercise can even reverse neurodegeneration in early Parkinson’s patients (<4 years after diagnosis), significantly increasing output of their dopaminergic systems. This likely translates to better coordination and movement in general.
Huntington’s & Multiple Sclerosis
Engaging in regular physical activity also benefits individuals with several other neurodegenerative conditions, including HD and MS. Patients with these conditions showed improved mood, cognition, coordination, and enhanced motor functionality. Aerobic exercise in MS patients even showed antidepressant effects and improved psychosocial functioning.
Final Thoughts
Alongside emerging medications, exercise is one of the best measures you can take to protect your nervous system from the progression of these diseases. Combining a personalized exercise routine with a healthy diet and proper supplements can drastically reduce the risk of development. Consult with a specialist and conduct further research to develop an individualized plan that best suits you.
As Yale researcher Sue Tinaz eloquently says: “Exercise is accessible to everyone, is relatively cheap, and is safe, if it also has this neuroprotective effect with the potential to reverse the disease course, that is something to celebrate and to study.”
Subscribe below to hear about emerging neuroscience research. Next week, I’ll be discussing diets to help prevent and slow disease progression.
Sources:
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2025.1502417/full
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/managing-the-risk-of-dementia/reduce-your-risk-of-dementia/physical-activity
https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/high-intensity-exercise-can-reverse-neurodegeneration-in-parkinsons-disease/
https://www.neurolab360.com/blog/progression-of-parkinsons-disease
Great article!