Ejercicio como factor protector contra la demencia

Regular physical activity for older adults could lead to higher brain volumes and a reduced risk for developing dementia. It particularly affected the size of the hippocampus, which controls short-term memory, and its protective effect against dementia was strongest in people age 75 and older.

Physical activity recommendations to protect against temporal lobe atrophy in older adults at risk for AD

 

An article published  in the last edition of Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring presents the results of a study oriented to compare temporal lobe volumes between older adults who met PAR and those who did not.

 

Acoording with the authors, Individuals at-risk for AD experience accelerated rates of brain atrophy. These results suggest that regular engagement in PA at or above PAR could attenuate this decline.

Tanshinonas y Enfermedad Mental: De la química la medicina

The prevalence of mental diseases, especially neurodegenerative disorders, is ever-increasing, while treatment options for such disorders are limited and insufficient. In this scarcity of available medication, it is a feasible strategy to search for potential drugs among natural compounds, such as those found in plants. One such plant source is the root of Chinese sage, Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (Labiatae), which contains several compounds reported to possess neuroprotective activities.

The most important of these compounds are tanshinones, which have been reported to possess ameliorative activity against a myriad of mental diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, and glioma, along with promoting neuronal differentiation and manifesting antinociceptive and anticonvulsant outcomes. This review offers a critical evaluation of the utility of tanshinones to treat mental illnesses, and sheds light on the underlying mechanisms through which these naturally occurring compounds confer neuroprotection.

Reference. Reviews in the Neurosciences 2016