Highlights Low levels of physical activity are a risk factor associated with Alzheimer's disease. Older adults who exercise are more likely to maintain cognition. Exercise modulates amyloid β turnover, inflammation, synthesis, and release of neurotrophins, and cerebral blood flow.

Aging is accompanied by a decline in memory and other brain functions. Physical exercise may mitigate this decline through the modulation of factors participating in the crosstalk between skeletal muscle and the brain, such as neurotrophins and oxidative stress parameters. We aimed to determine whether long term exercise training (35 ± 15 years) promotes memory maintenance in middle-aged men, and to characterize the changes in neurotrophic factors and lipid oxidation markers in peripheral blood samples in both middle-aged and young men. The neuropsychological analysis showed significant improvements in memory through the Free and Cued Immediate Recall tests, in the middle-aged trained individuals when compared to the sedentary ones. We found a significant decrease in the resting serum BDNF and plasma Cathepsin B (CTSB) levels in the trained groups at both middle and young ages. BDNF and CTSB levels were inversely correlated with weekly hours of exercise. We also found a significant decrease in plasma malondialdehyde, an index of lipid peroxidation, in middle-aged and young trained subjects. The positive impact of long-term exercise training by delaying the onset of physiological memory loss and the associated neurotrophic and redox peripheral modulation, suggests the effectiveness of exercise as preventive strategy against age-related memory loss and neurodegeneration.

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Physical exercise performed regularly is known to improve health and to reduce the risk of age-related diseases. Furthermore, there is some evidence of cognitive improvement in physically active middle-aged and older adults. We hypothesized that long-term physically active middle-aged men may have developed brain resilience that can be detected with the analysis of peripheral blood markers. We aimed to analyze the activation of pathways potentially modulated by physical activity in a cohort of healthy amateur rugby players (n = 24) and control subjects with low physical activity (n = 25) aged 45-65 years. We had previously reported neuropsychological improvement in immediate memory responses in the player group compared to the controls. Here, we tested the expression of selected genes of longevity, inflammation, redox homeostasis, and trophic signaling in whole blood mRNA. Analyses were also performed on blood samples of young (aged 15-25 years) control subjects with low physical activity (n = 21). Physical activity and other lifestyle factors were thoroughly recorded with standardized questionnaires. Interestingly, middle-aged control subjects showed lower levels of expression of SIRT1, SIRT3, CAT, and SOD1 than the young controls, although rugby players maintained the expression levels of these genes at a young-like level. Middle-aged players showed lower levels of IL1B than the non-physically active groups. However, there was a tendency towards a decrease in trophic and transduction factors in middle-aged groups as compared to the young controls. A statistical study of Spearman's correlations supported a positive effect of sporting activity on memory

During the lockdown for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), entire populations were instructed to live in home confinement. We investigated the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on the physical activity (PA) and mental health of students and employees in a Colombian University. A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey during the first isolation. A total of 431 respondents (192 males) aged 18–60 years old (28.1 ± 11.1 years) participated. The international Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the short version of the Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI-S) were used. The lockdown had a negative effect on PA levels, with students exhibiting the greatest decrease (~34%; p ˂ 0.001) compared to employees (~24%; p ˂ 0.01). The analysis showed a greater change in PA behavior before and during the lockdown in highly active student participants (5750 vs. 5141 MET min/week; p < 0.05). Additionally, the psychological assessment revealed a lower score in students compared to employees in the male (70.1 vs. 82.6) and female groups (60.2 vs. 79.6). Moreover, the results revealed an influence of sex, with only the female students exhibiting a state of distress. Self-reported PA and psychological well-being were compromised during the COVID-19 lockdown in the academic community, with students and females being more affected.

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