An Enzyme That Increases With Exercise Can Improve Memory in Mice, and Maybe People

A study in Science has identified an enzyme that could help explain how exercise can decelerate or even reverse aging in the brain, according to National Public Radio . University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) researchers sampled blood plasma from mice that received plenty of exercise and infused it into older sedentary mice. Those mice exhibited improvements in their brains and in mental tasks in a maze, and deeper analysis found the enzyme GPLD1 to be critical. By ramping up the production of this enzyme in older mice, nerves grew in part of their brains, and they performed better in the maze. When GPLD1 enters the bloodstream, it appears to suppress aspects of inflammation, which contributes to age-related brain damage. The researchers also probed a group of older people at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center, and those who exercised more produced GPLD1 in greater amounts. The researchers are keen to see if this discovery can be developed into a medication.