Brain SciencesPub Date : 2024-09-28DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14100988
Yun Wang
{"title":"Efficient Neural Decoding Based on Multimodal Training.","authors":"Yun Wang","doi":"10.3390/brainsci14100988","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14100988","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/objectives: </strong>Neural decoding methods are often limited by the performance of brain encoders, which map complex brain signals into a latent representation space of perception information. These brain encoders are constrained by the limited amount of paired brain and stimuli data available for training, making it challenging to learn rich neural representations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>To address this limitation, we present a novel multimodal training approach using paired image and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data to establish a brain masked autoencoder that learns the interactions between images and brain activities. Subsequently, we employ a diffusion model conditioned on brain data to decode realistic images.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our method achieves high-quality decoding results in semantic contents and low-level visual attributes, outperforming previous methods both qualitatively and quantitatively, while maintaining computational efficiency. Additionally, our method is applied to decode artificial patterns across region of interests (ROIs) to explore their functional properties. We not only validate existing knowledge concerning ROIs but also unveil new insights, such as the synergy between early visual cortex and higher-level scene ROIs, as well as the competition within the higher-level scene ROIs.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings provide valuable insights for future directions in the field of neural decoding.</p>","PeriodicalId":9095,"journal":{"name":"Brain Sciences","volume":"14 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11506634/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142494997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Brain SciencesPub Date : 2024-09-27DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14100973
Alessandra Costanza, Andrea Amerio, Andrea Aguglia, Martina Rossi, Alberto Parise, Luca Magnani, Gianluca Serafini, Mario Amore, Daniel Martins, Khoa D Nguyen
{"title":"Reactive Astrocytosis-A Potential Contributor to Increased Suicide in Long COVID-19 Patients?","authors":"Alessandra Costanza, Andrea Amerio, Andrea Aguglia, Martina Rossi, Alberto Parise, Luca Magnani, Gianluca Serafini, Mario Amore, Daniel Martins, Khoa D Nguyen","doi":"10.3390/brainsci14100973","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14100973","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Long COVID-19 is an emerging chronic illness of significant public health concern due to a myriad of neuropsychiatric sequelae, including increased suicidal ideation (SI) and behavior (SB).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This review provides a concise synthesis of clinical evidence that points toward the dysfunction of astrocytes, the most abundant glial cell type in the central nervous system, as a potential shared pathology between SI/SB and COVID-19.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Depression, a suicide risk factor, and SI/SB were both associated with reduced frequencies of various astrocyte subsets and complex proteomic/transcriptional changes of astrocyte-related markers in a brain-region-specific manner. Astrocyte-related circulating markers were increased in depressed subjects and, to a less consistent extent, in COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, reactive astrocytosis was observed in subjects with SI/SB and those with COVID-19.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Astrocyte dysfunctions occurred in depression, SI/SB, and COVID-19. Reactive-astrocyte-mediated loss of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity and subsequent neuroinflammation-a factor previously linked to SI/SB development-might contribute to increased suicide in individuals with long COVID-19. As such, the formulation of new therapeutic strategies to restore astrocyte homeostasis, enhance BBB integrity, and mitigate neuroinflammation may reduce SI/SB-associated neuropsychiatric manifestations among long COVID-19 patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":9095,"journal":{"name":"Brain Sciences","volume":"14 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11505806/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142516293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Brain SciencesPub Date : 2024-09-27DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14100975
Xixi Yang, Martina D Liechti, Baris Kanber, Carole H Sudre, Gloria Castellazzi, Jiaying Zhang, Marios C Yiannakas, Gwen Gonzales, Ferran Prados, Ahmed T Toosy, Claudia A M Gandini Wheeler-Kingshott, Jalesh N Panicker
{"title":"White Matter Magnetic Resonance Diffusion Measures in Multiple Sclerosis with Overactive Bladder.","authors":"Xixi Yang, Martina D Liechti, Baris Kanber, Carole H Sudre, Gloria Castellazzi, Jiaying Zhang, Marios C Yiannakas, Gwen Gonzales, Ferran Prados, Ahmed T Toosy, Claudia A M Gandini Wheeler-Kingshott, Jalesh N Panicker","doi":"10.3390/brainsci14100975","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14100975","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Lower urinary tract (LUT) symptoms are reported in more than 80% of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), most commonly an overactive bladder (OAB). The relationship between brain white matter (WM) changes in MS and OAB symptoms is poorly understood.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>We aim to evaluate (i) microstructural WM differences across MS patients (pwMS) with OAB symptoms, patients without LUT symptoms, and healthy subjects using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and (ii) associations between clinical OAB symptom scores and DTI indices.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Twenty-nine female pwMS [mean age (SD) 43.3 years (9.4)], including seventeen with OAB [mean age (SD) 46.1 years (8.6)] and nine without LUT symptoms [mean age (SD) 37.5 years (8.9)], and fourteen healthy controls (HCs) [mean age (SD) 48.5 years (20)] were scanned in a 3T MRI with a DTI protocol. Additionally, clinical scans were performed for WM lesion segmentation. Group differences in fractional anisotropy (FA) were evaluated using tract-based spatial statistics. The Urinary Symptom Profile questionnaire assessed OAB severity.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A statistically significant reduction in FA (<i>p</i> = 0.004) was identified in microstructural WM in pwMS, compared with HCs. An inverse correlation was found between FA in frontal and parietal WM lobes and OAB scores (<i>p</i> = 0.021) in pwMS. Areas of lower FA, although this did not reach statistical significance, were found in both frontal lobes and the rest of the non-dominant hemisphere in pwMS with OAB compared with pwMS without LUT symptoms (<i>p</i> = 0.072).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study identified that lesions affecting different WM tracts in MS can result in OAB symptoms and demonstrated the role of the WM in the neural control of LUT functions. By using DTI, the association between OAB symptom severity and WM changes were identified, adding knowledge to the current LUT working model. As MS is predominantly a WM disease, these findings suggest that regional WM involvement, including of the anterior corona radiata, anterior thalamic radiation, superior longitudinal fasciculus, and superior frontal-occipital fasciculus and a non-dominant prevalence in WM, can result in OAB symptoms. OAB symptoms in MS correlate with anisotropy changes in different white matter tracts as demonstrated by DTI. Structural impairment in WM tracts plays an important role in LUT symptoms in MS.</p>","PeriodicalId":9095,"journal":{"name":"Brain Sciences","volume":"14 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11506346/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142495017","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Brain SciencesPub Date : 2024-09-27DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14100981
Duho Sihn, Sung-Phil Kim
{"title":"Enhanced Correlation between Arousal and Infra-Slow Brain Activity in Experienced Meditators.","authors":"Duho Sihn, Sung-Phil Kim","doi":"10.3390/brainsci14100981","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14100981","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/objectives: </strong>Meditation induces changes in the nervous system, which presumably underpin positive psychological and physiological effects. Such neural changes include alterations in the arousal fluctuation, as well as in infraslow brain activity (ISA, <0.1 Hz). Furthermore, it is known that fluctuations of arousal over time correlate with the oscillatory phase of ISA. However, whether this arousal-ISA correlation changes after meditation practices remains unanswered.; Methods: The present study aims to address this question by analyzing a publicly available electroencephalogram (EEG) dataset recorded during meditation sessions in the groups of experienced meditators and novices. The arousal fluctuation is measured by galvanic skin responses (GSR), and arousal-ISA correlations are measured by phase synchronization between GSR and EEG ISAs.; Results: While both groups exhibit arousal-ISA correlations, experienced meditators display higher correlations than novices. These increased arousal-ISA correlations in experienced meditators manifest more clearly when oscillatory phase differences between GSR and EEG ISAs are either 0 or π radians. As such, we further investigate the characteristics of these phase differences with respect to spatial distribution over the brain. We found that brain regions with the phase difference of either 0 or π radians form distinct spatial clusters, and that these clusters are spatially correlated with functional organization estimated by the principal gradient, based on functional connectivity.; Conclusions: Since increased arousal-ISA correlations reflect enhanced global organization of the central and autonomic nervous systems, our findings imply that the positive effects of meditation might be mediated by enhanced global organization of the nervous system.</p>","PeriodicalId":9095,"journal":{"name":"Brain Sciences","volume":"14 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11506050/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142495008","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Brain SciencesPub Date : 2024-09-27DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14100977
Jozsef Nagy, Wolfgang Fenz, Veronika M Miron, Stefan Thumfart, Julia Maier, Zoltan Major, Harald Stefanits, Johannes Oberndorfer, Nico Stroh, Vanessa Mazanec, Philip-Rudolf Rauch, Andreas Gruber, Matthias Gmeiner
{"title":"Fluid-Structure Interaction Simulations of the Initiation Process of Cerebral Aneurysms.","authors":"Jozsef Nagy, Wolfgang Fenz, Veronika M Miron, Stefan Thumfart, Julia Maier, Zoltan Major, Harald Stefanits, Johannes Oberndorfer, Nico Stroh, Vanessa Mazanec, Philip-Rudolf Rauch, Andreas Gruber, Matthias Gmeiner","doi":"10.3390/brainsci14100977","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14100977","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background:</b> Hemodynamics during the growth process of cerebral aneurysms are incompletely understood. We developed a novel fluid-structure interaction analysis method for the identification of relevant scenarios of aneurysm onset. <b>Method:</b> This method integrates both fluid dynamics and structural mechanics, as well as their mutual interaction, for a comprehensive analysis. Patients with a single unruptured cerebral aneurysm were included. <b>Results:</b> Overall, three scenarios were identified. In scenario A, wall shear stress (WSS) was low, and the oscillatory shear index (OSI) was high in large areas within the region of aneurysm onset (RAO). In scenario B, the quantities indicated a reversed behavior, where WSS was high and OSI was low. In the last scenario C, a behavior in-between was found, with scenarios A and B coexisting simultaneously in the RAO. Structural mechanics demonstrated a similar but independent trend. Further, we analyzed the change in hemodynamics between the onset and a fully developed aneurysm. While scenarios A and C remained unchanged during aneurysm growth, 47% of aneurysms in scenario B changed into scenario A and 20% into scenario C. <b>Conclusions:</b> In conclusion, these findings suggest that WSS and the OSI are reciprocally regulated, and both low and high WSS/OSI conditions can lead to aneurysm onset.</p>","PeriodicalId":9095,"journal":{"name":"Brain Sciences","volume":"14 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11506655/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142495014","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Resveratrol and Exercise Produce Recovered Ankle and Metatarsus Joint Movements after Penetrating Lesion in Hippocampus in Male Rats.","authors":"Irene Guadalupe Aguilar-Garcia, Jonatan Alpirez, Rolando Castañeda-Arellano, Judith Marcela Dueñas-Jiménez, Carmen Toro Castillo, Lilia Carolina León-Moreno, Laura Paulina Osuna-Carrasco, Sergio Horacio Dueñas-Jiménez","doi":"10.3390/brainsci14100980","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14100980","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Introduction:</b> This study investigates how traumatic injuries alter joint movements in the ankle and foot. We used a brain injury model in rats, focusing on the hippocampus between the CA1 and dentate gyrus. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> We assessed the dissimilarity factor (DF) and vertical displacement (VD) of the ankle and metatarsus joints before and after the hippocampal lesion. We analyzed joint movements in rats after the injury or in rats treated with resveratrol, exercise, or a combination of both. <b>Results:</b> Resveratrol facilitated the recovery of DF in both legs, showing improvements in the ankle and metatarsus joints on the third and seventh days post-injury. The hippocampal lesion affected VD in both legs, observed on the third or seventh day after the injury. Both exercise and resveratrol partially recovered VD in the ankle and metatarsus joints on these days. These effects may be linked to increased hippocampal neurogenesis and reduced neuroinflammation. <b>Conclusions:</b> The study highlights the benefits of resveratrol and exercise in motor recovery following brain injury, suggesting their potential to enhance the quality of life for patients with neurological disorders affecting motor function and locomotion. These findings also suggest that resveratrol could offer a promising or complementary alternative in managing chronic pain and inflammation associated with orthopedic conditions, thus improving overall patient management.</p>","PeriodicalId":9095,"journal":{"name":"Brain Sciences","volume":"14 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11506448/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142494981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Brain SciencesPub Date : 2024-09-27DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14100978
P Hande Ozdinler
{"title":"Sleep Apnea and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Cause, Correlation, Any Relation?","authors":"P Hande Ozdinler","doi":"10.3390/brainsci14100978","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14100978","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a motor neuron disease with progressive neurodegeneration, affecting both the cortical and the spinal component of the motor neuron circuitry in patients. The cellular and molecular basis of selective neuronal vulnerability is beginning to emerge. Yet, there are no effective cures for ALS, which affects more than 200,000 people worldwide each year. Recent studies highlight the importance of the glymphatic system and its proper function for the clearance of the cerebral spinal fluid, which is achieved mostly during the sleep period. Therefore, a potential link between problems with sleep and neurodegenerative diseases has been postulated. This paper discusses the present understanding of this potential correlation.</p>","PeriodicalId":9095,"journal":{"name":"Brain Sciences","volume":"14 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11505663/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142494983","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Brain SciencesPub Date : 2024-09-27DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14100979
Barbara Hofer, Birgit Spechtenhauser
{"title":"Theoretical Considerations on the Literacy-Metacognition Nexus: Exploring the Linguistic-Cognitive Landscape of Young Multilingual Minds.","authors":"Barbara Hofer, Birgit Spechtenhauser","doi":"10.3390/brainsci14100979","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14100979","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/objectives: </strong>Research suggests that metalinguistic and cognitive/attentional-control processes are key variables in literacy development in young learners. Interactions between these variables are complex, and this complexity is increased in multilingual learners. With data on the interplay between metalinguistic and cognitive awareness, literacy, and multilingualism being scarce, it is far from clear how these variables interact and how they impact the individual child. This article sets out to shine some light on the interconnectedness and interactions between metalinguistic awareness, cognitive/executive functions, and (multilingual) literacy.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We argue that the three dimensions are strongly correlated and that this correlation comes with important implications for language learning, language processing, and language development. However, the exact nature of these correlations is yet to be established.</p>","PeriodicalId":9095,"journal":{"name":"Brain Sciences","volume":"14 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11506620/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142495004","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Brain SciencesPub Date : 2024-09-27DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14100976
John Waddell, Shuying Lin, Kathleen Carter, Tina Truong, May Hebert, Norma Ojeda, Lir-Wan Fan, Abhay Bhatt, Yi Pang
{"title":"Early Postnatal Neuroinflammation Produces Key Features of Diffuse Brain White Matter Injury in Rats.","authors":"John Waddell, Shuying Lin, Kathleen Carter, Tina Truong, May Hebert, Norma Ojeda, Lir-Wan Fan, Abhay Bhatt, Yi Pang","doi":"10.3390/brainsci14100976","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14100976","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Perinatal infection is a major risk factor for diffuse white matter injury (dWMI), which remains the most common form of neurological disability among very preterm infants. The disease primarily targets oligodendrocytes (OL) lineage cells in the white matter but also involves injury and/or dysmaturation of neurons of the gray matter. This study aimed to investigate whether neuroinflammation preferentially affects the cellular compositions of the white matter or gray matter.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Neuroinflammation was initiated by intracerebral administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to rat pups at postnatal (P) day 5, and neurobiological and behavioral outcomes were assessed between P6 and P21.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>LPS challenge rapidly activates microglia and astrocytes, which is associated with the inhibition of OL and neuron differentiation leading to myelination deficits. Specifically, neuroinflammation reduces the immature OLs but not progenitors and causes acute axonal injury (β-amyloid precursor protein immunopositivity) and impaired dendritic maturation (reduced MAP2+ neural fiber density) in the cortical area at P7. Neuroinflammation also reduces the expression of doublecortin in the hippocampus, suggesting compromise in neurogenesis. Utilizing a battery of behavioral assessments, we found that LPS-exposed animals exhibited deficits in sensorimotor, neuromuscular, and cognitive domains.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our overall results indicate that neuroinflammation alone in the early postnatal period can produce cardinal neuropathological features of dWMI.</p>","PeriodicalId":9095,"journal":{"name":"Brain Sciences","volume":"14 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11505921/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142494994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Brain SciencesPub Date : 2024-09-27DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14100974
Javier Sanchez-Martinez, Patricio Solis-Urra, Jorge Olivares-Arancibia, Julio Plaza-Diaz
{"title":"Physical Exercise and Mechanism Related to Alzheimer's Disease: Is Gut-Brain Axis Involved?","authors":"Javier Sanchez-Martinez, Patricio Solis-Urra, Jorge Olivares-Arancibia, Julio Plaza-Diaz","doi":"10.3390/brainsci14100974","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14100974","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by structural changes in the brain, including hippocampal atrophy, cortical thinning, amyloid plaques, and tau tangles. Due to the aging of the global population, the burden of Alzheimer's disease is expected to increase, making the exploration of non-pharmacological interventions, such as physical exercise, an urgent priority.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>There is emerging evidence that regular physical exercise may mitigate the structural and functional declines associated with Alzheimer's disease. The underlying mechanisms, however, remain poorly understood. Gut-brain axis research is a promising area for further investigation. This system involves bidirectional communication between the gut microbiome and the brain. According to recent studies, the gut microbiome may influence brain health through modulating neuroinflammation, producing neuroactive compounds, and altering metabolic processes. Exercise has been shown to alter the composition of the gut microbiome, potentially impacting brain structure and function. In this review, we aim to synthesize current research on the relationship between physical exercise, structural brain changes in Alzheimer's disease, and the gut-brain axis.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In this study, we will investigate whether changes in the gut microbiome induced by physical exercise can mediate its neuroprotective effects, offering new insights into the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. By integrating findings from neuroimaging studies, clinical trials, and microbiome research, this review will highlight potential mechanisms. It will also identify key gaps in the literature. This will pave the way for future research directions.</p>","PeriodicalId":9095,"journal":{"name":"Brain Sciences","volume":"14 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11506766/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142495056","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}