Abstract
The multifold benefits of regular physical exercise have been largely demonstrated in human and animal models. Several studies have reported the beneficial effects of physical activity, both in peripheral tissues and in the central nervous system (CNS). Regular exercise improves cognition, brain plasticity, neurogenesis and reduces the symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases, making timeless the principle of “mens sana in corpore sano” (i.e., a healthy mind in a healthy body). Physical exercise promotes morphological and functional changes in the brain, acting not only in neurons but also in astrocytes, which represent the most numerous glial cells in the brain. The multiple effects of exercise on astrocytes comprise the increased number of new astrocytes, the maintenance of basal levels of catecholamine, the increase in glutamate uptake, the major release of trophic factors and better astrocytic coverage of cerebral blood vessels. The purpose of this review is to highlight the effects of exercise on brain function, emphasize the role of astrocytes in the healthy CNS, and provide an update for a better understanding of the effects of physical exercise in the modulation of astrocyte function.
Highlights
In the last decades, there has been a growing body of evidence suggesting a positive correlation between a physically active lifestyle and health status
brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is the most widely distributed neurotrophin in the adult mammalian brain. It plays a crucial role in the differentiation of neural stem cells into neurons, influences neuronal plasticity by facilitating the release of neurotransmitters, and shows a neuroprotective effect under adverse conditions, such as excessive glutamatergic stimulation, cerebral ischemia, and neurotoxicity [27,28,29,30]
Exercise stimulates the release of nerve growth factor (NGF), which is normally produced in the hippocampus throughout life and retrogradely trafficked to septal cholinergic neurons
Summary
There has been a growing body of evidence suggesting a positive correlation between a physically active lifestyle and health status. Regular physical exercise in healthy adults enhances behavioral that exercise can dampen excessive immune responses, thereby eliciting anti-inflammatory functions that promote psychological health [7,8,9]. BDNF is the most widely distributed neurotrophin in the adult mammalian brain It plays a crucial role in the differentiation of neural stem cells into neurons, influences neuronal plasticity by facilitating the release of neurotransmitters, and shows a neuroprotective effect under adverse conditions, such as excessive glutamatergic stimulation, cerebral ischemia, and neurotoxicity [27,28,29,30]. Exercise stimulates the release of NGF, which is normally produced in the hippocampus throughout life and retrogradely trafficked to septal cholinergic neurons By doing so, it provides a potential mechanism for modulating cholinergic inputs and, thereby, ensuring hippocampal plasticity [44,45]. The beneficial effects of exercise in the brain should be seen in the context of astrocytic modulation
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