Dementia and Alzheimers
Dementia, is a clinical syndrome caused by neurodegeneration. Dementia is characterised by a progressive decline in cognitive function as well as the ability to live independently (Prince et al., 2012). Alzheimers is one of the pathologies that fall under Dementia.
Dementia most commonly affects older people aged 60 and above and is becoming more and more prevalent (Prince et al., 2012). Attached a link to an interesting article on the effect exercise has on Alzheimers can be found below.
A short summary:
Previous research has shown the benefits of physical activity in healthy elderly people and it is shown to improve over all quality of life and independency.
A hormone called Irisin is known as an exercise-induced myokine released by muscles during exercise. It has been found that the levels of Irisin is reduced in people with Alzheimer Disease. Recent research has shown that Irisin promotes brain cell growth in the Hippocampus (an area in the brain responsible for memory and learning). Animal studies show that Irisin protects the brain synapses and memory. These studies show that physical activity can improve memory and ultimately help people lower their risk of developing Alzheimers as well as slow down the progression thereof.