SSA: Combatting brain and body ageing through exercise

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

It is popularly accepted that the way to a long life is through regular exercise, good sleeping habits and a healthy diet.Indeed, regular exercise is beneficial for the brain and body and can help us lose fat, improve cardiovascular function,repair the brain, stimulate the production of new brain cells, improve our problem solving abilities, and strengthenour body clock. A key to having good sleep and dietary habits is to make sure that we maintain regular bed-times andmeal times. Daily regularity in sleeping and feeding arises because our body clock, which tells us when to awaken andwhen to eat, is matched to the 24h changes in daylight. Unfortunately, as we age, both our body clock and oursynchronization to the external world can weaken, resulting in disruptions in sleepwake cycle, cardiovascular function,eating and impaired problem-solving abilities. In people leading sedentary lifestyles, such disruptions worsen and theageing process is sped up, leading to premature death. This is called 'unhealthy ageing' and occurs in sedentary mice.In this project, the student will study how providing mice with the opportunity to voluntarily exercise in a runningwheel at different stages of life thwarts the ageing process. It is anticipated that the younger the animals are whenthey begin exercising, the more effectively the abnormal ageing process will be lessened. It is possible that even afterspending half their life in a sedentary state that animals will show a significant improvement in their brain and bodyfunctions following the opportunity to exercise. Animals with weakened or completely dysfunctional body clocks arepotentially prone to accelerated ageing and whether exercise is an effective intervention in these animals will beexplored. It is also possible that regular exercise will stimulate the ageing brain to produce new cells and improveproblem-solving capabilities. Through this research project, the student will investigate new ways of restoring brainand body rhythms to promote good health and longevity.