Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, are disabling and fatal neurological disorders affecting millions of people worldwide. With the continuous growth of the aging population, the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases is projected to more than double by 2050. Despite the extensive efforts from researchers throughout the world, effective treatments for combating these diseases are still limited, even though only transient benefits are observed in the majority of these treatments. As a low-cost, low-risk, scalable non-pharmaceutical intervention, exercise has drawn more and more attention from the research community in terms of its role in ameliorating cognitive impairment. A growing number of epidemiological evidence have confirmed that exercise is beneficial for the prevention of brain aging and the maintenance of brain function. Although neuroplasticity has been reported to be involved in exercise-related improvements in cognitive function, underlying mechanisms are yet to be fully understood.
This Research Topic aims to explore the benefits of exercise on cognitive impairment and to explore the mechanisms of those beneficial effects at various levels of the brain and nervous system. We welcome the submissions in the form of Clinical Trial, Original Research, Review, and Systematic Review.
Areas to be covered in this Research Topic may include but are not limited to:
• Mechanisms of exercise on neuroplasticity and metaplasticity.
• Neural mechanisms of exercise on neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other types of dementia).
• Mechanisms of brain functional change due to exercise, particularly at the brain network level.
• Research on assessment methods for neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other types of dementia).
• Clinical trials to explore the modulation effects of physical activity on cognitive function in neurodegenerative diseases.
Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, are disabling and fatal neurological disorders affecting millions of people worldwide. With the continuous growth of the aging population, the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases is projected to more than double by 2050. Despite the extensive efforts from researchers throughout the world, effective treatments for combating these diseases are still limited, even though only transient benefits are observed in the majority of these treatments. As a low-cost, low-risk, scalable non-pharmaceutical intervention, exercise has drawn more and more attention from the research community in terms of its role in ameliorating cognitive impairment. A growing number of epidemiological evidence have confirmed that exercise is beneficial for the prevention of brain aging and the maintenance of brain function. Although neuroplasticity has been reported to be involved in exercise-related improvements in cognitive function, underlying mechanisms are yet to be fully understood.
This Research Topic aims to explore the benefits of exercise on cognitive impairment and to explore the mechanisms of those beneficial effects at various levels of the brain and nervous system. We welcome the submissions in the form of Clinical Trial, Original Research, Review, and Systematic Review.
Areas to be covered in this Research Topic may include but are not limited to:
• Mechanisms of exercise on neuroplasticity and metaplasticity.
• Neural mechanisms of exercise on neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other types of dementia).
• Mechanisms of brain functional change due to exercise, particularly at the brain network level.
• Research on assessment methods for neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other types of dementia).
• Clinical trials to explore the modulation effects of physical activity on cognitive function in neurodegenerative diseases.
