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The Best Way to Treat Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s is a complex disease that involves dysregulated expression of thousands of genes across multiple brain regions and is incredibly difficult to treat.
A recent study, just published in the journal Scientific Reports, used 22 Alzheimer’s disease gene expression datasets to identify a consistent underlying portrait of Alzheimer’s across the brain.
The researchers then used the portrait as a way to identify potential treatments that could reverse Alzheimer’s dysregulated gene expression patterns.
The results showed that out of over 250 treatment options analyzed, the top three treatments were for exercise.
The antidepressant fluoxetine ranked 4th and curcumin, the plant chemical from turmeric, ranked 5th.
The potential ability of exercise to reverse Alzheimer’s patterns was striking.
Out of 1000 dysregulated genes in Alzheimer’s disease, the top exercise treatment was shown to reverse 409 of them, with only 25 continuing to move in the same (bad) direction.
The benefits of exercise for halting or reversing Alzheimer’s is largely attributed to its circulatory system and blood vessel development, supporting blood flow to the brain.
