The Contribution of Physical Exercise to Brain Resilience

Abstract

Increasing attention has been given to understanding resilience to brain diseases, often described as brain or cognitive reserve. Among the protective factors for the development of resilience, physical activity/exercise has been considered to play an important role. Exercise is known to induce many positive effects on the brain. As such, exercise represents an important tool to influence neurodevelopment and shape the adult brain to react to life's challenges. Among many beneficial effects, exercise intervention has been associated with cognitive improvement and stress resilience in humans and animal models. Thus, a growing number of studies have demonstrated that exercise not only recovers or minimizes cognitive deficits by inducing better neuroplasticity and cognitive reserve but also counteracts brain pathology. This is evidenced before disease onset or after it has been established. In this review, we aimed to present encouraging data from current clinical and pre-clinical neuroscience research and discuss the possible biological mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of physical exercise on resilience. We consider the implication of physical exercise for resilience from brain development to aging and for some neurological diseases. Overall, the literature indicates that brain/cognitive reserve built up by regular exercise in several stages of life, prepares the brain to be more resilient to cognitive impairment and consequently to brain pathology.

Physical Activity and Resilience among College Students: The Mediating Effects of Basic Psychological Needs

“…Ozkara et al have suggested that this may be because physical activity makes the cardiovascular system more efficient, and it does not need to do so much work to mobilize resources to cope with stressors [48]. Physical activity can also enhance the ability of emotional regulation by strengthening individual brain regions and large-scale neural circuits [49], so as to improve the mental resilience of college students. The more physical activity they engage in, the more resilient they will become [50].…”

Stress-Related Dysfunction of Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis—An Attempt for Understanding Resilience?

“…For example, it is known that PE in humans, especially running, acts as an antidepressant intervention by increasing hippocampal volumes and also reversing the age-dependent volume decline [ 204 , 474 ]. In addition, it is commonly accepted that PE contributes to protection against psychiatric disorders [ 475 ]. As mentioned above, in rodents, PE strongly increases neurogenesis [ 150 ], but this direct link is missing in humans, and therefore, interpretation can be only indirect.…”

Effects of Genistein and Exercise Training on Brain Damage Induced by a High-Fat High-Sucrose Diet in Female C57BL/6 Mice

“…Indeed, several pathways resulting in different adaptations related to improved brain structure and function are suggested. These adaptations to exercise are generally viewed as structural, hemodynamic, and molecular in nature which occur either through separate or convergent signaling pathways that ultimately reduce disease risk [ 60 – 63 ]. The induction of neurotrophic factors, including BDNF, insulin-like growth factor (IGF), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), is viewed as a central mechanism associated with the benefits of exercise on brain function [ 64 ].…”