Exercise may delay the progression of PD
Research study conducted by University of Houston (UH) pharmacology graduate student Gaurav Patki and professor Yuen-Sum "Vincent" Lau, Ph.D. suggests that long-term endurance exercise may slow the progression of Parkinson's disease (PD) by protecting cells involved in maintaining function and movement.
"Clinical reports have implicated exercise training in improving the physical performance and mobility of people with Parkinson's disease, but no one has demonstrated, either clinically or in laboratory models, whether exercise can delay the progression of neuronal degeneration," Dr. Lau said.
The UH researchers studied mice that had PD-like symptoms, including impaired movement and a marked loss of brain dopamine and mitochondrial function. They kept half the mice sedentary, and the other half on a motorized treadmill for 40 minutes daily, five days a week, for 18 weeks. At the end of the study, the exercised mice had significantly higher brain dopamine content, greater brain mitochondrial activity and performed better on balance tests than the sedentary mice.
"This research provides scientific evidence that long-term endurance exercise protects brain mitochondria and dopamine-producing neurons from undergoing progressive degeneration," said Dr. Lau, who chairs the UH Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences. "We also proved and want to emphasize that exercise has to be long term in order to sufficiently produce the neuroprotective benefits."
From a report in Texas Medical Center News 1/15/2010
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