Dr. David Perlmutter discusses a recently published PLOS ONE randomized controlled pilot trial that examined the effects of aerobic exercise versus a non‑aerobic stretching/toning program in individuals with early Alzheimer’s disease. The six‑month study enrolled 68 completers who were assessed at baseline, 13 weeks, and 26 weeks on neuropsychological measures (memory, executive function, depression), functional ability, cardiorespiratory fitness, and hippocampal volume via MRI. Results showed that participants in the aerobic group improved functional ability and exhibited increased hippocampal volume compared with the stretching control. While direct effects on memory, executive function, and depressive symptoms were not statistically significant, post‑hoc analyses revealed a strong correlation between gains in cardiorespiratory fitness and better memory performance, as well as reduced hippocampal atrophy. Perlmutter emphasizes that, in the absence of effective pharmaceutical treatments, aerobic exercise represents a promising, non‑pharmacologic strategy for preserving brain health in early Alzheimer’s, urging clinicians and patients to consider exercise proactively.
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Hello everyone, I'm Dr. David Perlmutter. I'm here today to tell you that it looks like there really is a treatment for Alzheimer's disease, and guess what? It's not in the form of a pill. In a new study that was recently published in the journal PLOS ONE entitled Aerobic Exercise for Alzheimer's Disease: A Randomized Controlled Pilot trial, researchers actually found significant benefit in the institution of an exercise program in individuals with Alzheimer's disease. Let me tell you about the study. The study went on for 6 months and took a group of individuals, and there was a total of, I think, 68 participants who completed the trial. They randomized them to either be involved in aerobic exercise or what was called non-aerobic stretching and toning control intervention. So, on the one hand, aerobic exercise; on the other hand, pretty much a stretching program. They looked at a variety of issues to measure. They did neuropsychological tests at various times during the study. They looked at these individuals, obviously, at baseline, at 13 weeks, and at the end of the trial, which was at 26 weeks as well. And they measured things like depression scale, Memory function, executive function, and also their functional ability. Most importantly, they did brain MRI scans and measured the size of the brain's memory center called the hippocampus, and they measured their cardiorespiratory fitness. And here's what they found. They found that, as you might expect, those individuals who aerobically exercised had gains in their functional abilities. But there was no clear-cut effect of the intervention, in other words, the exercise group, in terms of memory and executive function or depressive symptoms. However, when they went back and looked at their data, they did find a relatively strong correlation between those who gained cardiovascular fitness and those other important features like memory performance. And in addition, They found that the size of the brain's memory center in the group that exercised was increased in comparison to those who simply did stretching. I'm going to read to you the conclusion from the researchers. Aerobic exercise in early Alzheimer's disease is associated with benefits in functional ability. Exercise-related gains in cardiorespiratory fitness were associated with improved memory performance and reduced hippocampal atrophy, or shrinking, suggesting cardiorespiratory fitness gains may be important in driving brain benefits. So in this day and age when we don't have any pharmaceutical or other mainstream intervention to treat Alzheimer's disease, this study that shows a fairly powerful impact of instituting aerobic exercise in patients with early Alzheimer's disease, I think, is Very, very important. So exercise is indeed beneficial for the brain. So I want you to remember this study and keep it in mind for others who may need this information. And having said that, I would also say that while this study didn't necessarily prove it, I would suggest that, you know, as John Kennedy said, the time to fix the roof is when the sun is shining. For those of us who've not been diagnosed with early Alzheimer's disease, the effects of aerobic exercise in terms of the brain's hippocampus we've talked about before, and that is it leads to growth of the brain's memory center, and we can all use a bigger, more powerful computer as it relates to memory. So keep this information in mind. I'm Dr. David Perlmutter. Thanks for listening.
