How can our brains be trained by running?

By Pharrell Williams

如果沒有看這篇文章，可能所有的人都會認為跑步僅可以鍛煉自己的體力，增強腿部力量，并且可以幫助減肥等。跑步能鍛煉大腦，這個觀點兒有點離奇。為了滿足你的好奇心，來看看吧！

Scientists studying Alzheimer's have found that staying moderately active can lead to healthier brain functions in those at risk of developing the disease，potentially giving us another clue how to beat the condition.

In particular the research looked at glucose metabolism,the process that gives brain cells the right amount of fuel，and that also happens to break down with the onset of Alzheimer's.

Scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that study participants who spent more than an hour per day taking part in moderate physical exercise showed greater levels and healthier levels of glucose metabolism than those who didn't.

“This study has implications for guiding exercise‘prescriptions’that could help protect the brain from Alzheimer’s disease”， says one of the team，Ryan Dougherty.

“While many people become discouraged about Alzheimer’s disease because they feel there’s little they can do to protect against it，these results suggest that engaging in moderate physical activity may slow down the progression of the disease.”

The study used accelerometers to measure a week’s worth of physical activity for 93 middle-aged volunteers,all at high genetic risk of Alzheimer’s but so far showing no cognitive signs of the disease.

Physical activity was split into light（the equivalent of walking slowly）,moderate （a brisk walk）， and vigorous （a strenuous run).This collected data was then compared against glucose metabolism levels in the brain.

研究阿茲海默癥的科學家發(fā)現(xiàn)，適度運動有助于讓容易患阿茲海默癥的人群大腦功能更加健全，為戰(zhàn)勝該疾病又提供了一個潛在的思路。

這一研究特別關(guān)注了葡萄糖代謝過程，葡萄糖代謝為大腦細胞提供適量營養(yǎng)，會隨著阿茲海默癥的發(fā)作而瓦解。

威斯康星大學麥迪遜分校的科學家發(fā)現(xiàn)，研究參與者如果每天進行超過一個小時的適量運動，相比沒有進行運動的研究參與者，會顯示出更高、更健康的葡萄糖代謝水平。

“這項研究有助于指導運動‘處方’，保護大腦免受阿茲海默癥的影響”，研究團隊里的Ryan Dougherty說道。

“很多人對于阿茲海默癥感到絕望，因為他們覺得自己無法避免患上這種病，但是研究結(jié)果表明，適度運動或許能減緩該疾病的發(fā)生?！?/p>

該研究使用加速計測量93名中年志愿者一周的運動量，這些志愿者從家族遺傳來看都有患上阿茲海默癥的風險，不過尚未顯示出患病的體征。

身體運動分為輕度(相當于慢慢行走)、適度(輕快步行)和劇烈(劇烈跑步)。收集到的數(shù)據(jù)跟大腦中的葡萄糖代謝水平進行比較。

Using a special imaging technique called18F- fluorodeoxy glucose positron emission tomography(FDG-PET)to trace glucose metabolism,the researchers found healthier patterns in moderately active patients in all areas of the brain under observation.

The link is enough for the researchers to suggest physical exercise is an “important contributor” to brain health for those at risk of Alzheimer’s,though they also stress that further research is required to establish how staying active might be connected to the chances of developing Alzheimer’s later in life.

Plenty of previous studies have found associations between exercise and improved memory， and there’s a growing pile of evidence that exercise boosts brain power as well as other parts of the body.Now we just need to figure out how Alzheimer’s fits into all this.

A small 2016 study found that exercise could be one factor in reversing the effects of Alzheimer’s， alongside changes to diet and sleep habits,and a personalised program of vitamins and other drugs.

Everyday exercises such as gardening or walking are already recommended for those suffering from dementia—as well as just about everyone else—but scientists are still trying to pin down the details.

According to one of the researchers,Ozioma Okonkwo,ongoing research continues to take a closer look at how exercise could perhaps protect the brain from the onset of Alzheimer’s off the back of this new study.

“Seeing a quantifiable connection between moderate physical activity and brain health is an exciting first step” ，he says.

研究人員采用被稱為是18F-氟脫氧葡萄糖正電子發(fā)射斷層掃描(FDG-PET)的特殊成像技術(shù)來追蹤葡萄糖代謝活動，結(jié)果在觀察適度運動患者的所有大腦區(qū)域后發(fā)現(xiàn)了更健康的模式。

這一聯(lián)系足以讓研究人員建議，體育鍛煉對于那些可能患上阿茲海默癥的人來說，是保持健康大腦的“重要貢獻者”，盡管他們強調(diào)，還需要進一步研究來確定保持運動與日后患上阿茲海默癥的幾率的聯(lián)系。

此前許多研究已經(jīng)發(fā)現(xiàn)運動和改善記憶之間存在關(guān)聯(lián)，而且越來越多證據(jù)表明，運動能夠提升腦力，改善身體其他部位的機能?，F(xiàn)在我們只需要搞清楚這一套如何適用于阿茲海默癥。

2016年的一項小研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，運動可能是扭轉(zhuǎn)阿茲海默癥影響的一個因素，其他因素包括飲食和睡眠習慣上的變化，以及維生素和其他藥物的個性化方案。

不管你是否患有癡呆癥的人，都建議你參加日常鍛煉，比如園藝或者是步行。不過，科學家仍在努力弄清其中的細節(jié)。

據(jù)研究人員Ozioma Okonkwo介紹，在這項新研究基礎(chǔ)上，當前研究繼續(xù)深入探索運動可能如何保護大腦免受阿茲海默癥的影響。

他說：“看到適度運動和大腦健康之間的量化聯(lián)系是讓人興奮的第一步?！?/p>