Exercise Intervention for Alzheimer’s Disease: Unraveling Neurobiological Mechanisms and Assessing Effects

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease and a major cause of age-related dementia, characterized by cognitive dysfunction and memory impairment. The underlying causes include the accumulation of beta-amyloid protein (Aβ) in the brain, abnormal phosphorylation, and aggregation of tau protein within nerve cells, as well as neuronal damage and death. Currently, there is no cure for AD with drug therapy. Non-pharmacological interventions such as exercise have been widely used to treat AD, but the specific molecular and biological mechanisms are not well understood. In this narrative review, we integrate the biology of AD and summarize the knowledge of the molecular, neural, and physiological mechanisms underlying exercise-induced improvements in AD progression. We discuss various exercise interventions used in AD and show that exercise directly or indirectly affects the brain by regulating crosstalk mechanisms between peripheral organs and the brain, including “bone–brain crosstalk”, “muscle–brain crosstalk”, and “gut–brain crosstalk”. We also summarize the potential role of artificial intelligence and neuroimaging technologies in exercise interventions for AD. We emphasize that moderate-intensity, regular, long-term exercise may improve the progression of Alzheimer’s disease through various molecular and biological pathways, with multimodal exercise providing greater benefits. Through in-depth exploration of the molecular and biological mechanisms and effects of exercise interventions in improving AD progression, this review aims to contribute to the existing knowledge base and provide insights into new therapeutic strategies for managing AD.

Keywords

• exercise
• physical activity
• Alzheimer’s disease
• molecular pathways
• brain-derived neurotrophic factor
• artificial intelligence