It turns out that exercise may be even more medically beneficial than we think, and its impacts show implications even in cases of neurological disease. A team of researchers from McGill University has presented a new study showing that exercise restored the health of cells in the human brain and had implications in spinal cerebellar ataxia 6 (SCA6). Researchers at McGill University, who specialize in SCA6 and other forms of ataxia, have published findings that not only offer hope for SCA6 sufferers, but may also pave the way for developing treatments for other movement disorders.
In particular, spinal cerebellar ataxia 6 (SCA6), an inherited neurological disease that affects motor coordination and reportedly affects only one in 100,000 people, medical researchers have so far paid fairly little attention to the condition . It is important to note that there is currently no known cure and only a few therapeutic alternatives. Findings from the study “TrkB activation – Akt signaling rescues deficits in a mouse model of SCA6” by Anna Cook were published in Science Advances.
exercise in a pill
According to the McGill team led by biology professor Alanna Watt, they found that in mice affected by SCA6, exercise restored the health of cells in the cerebellum, the part of the brain implicated in SCA6 and other ataxias. The researchers found that the reason for the improvement was that exercise increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a natural substance in the brain that supports the growth and development of nerve cells. Importantly, for patients with a movement disorder, for whom exercise isn’t always feasible, the team showed that a drug that mimicked the action of BDNF could work as well, if not better than exercise, according to a report from ANI news agency.
Why early intervention can be crucial
In addition, the researchers found that BDNF levels in SCA6 mice dropped well before movement difficulties began to appear. Interestingly, they found that the drug worked to stop the decline only if it was administered before the onset of outwardly visible symptoms.
Anna Cook, a Ph.D. The candidate in Professor Watt’s lab noted, “That’s not something we really knew about SCA6. If there are these early changes in the brain that people don’t even know about, it tends to advocate for more genetic testing and early interventions for these rare diseases.”
(With contributions from the ANI)
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