Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease in the elderly associated with dementia, memory loss, severe cognitive impairments, and eventually physical limitations.
Alzheimer’s disease develops due to microscopic changes that take place in the brain, such as amyloid beta protein plaques, increased neuro-inflammation, decreased nerve growth factors, oxidative stress, and decreased synaptic connections in the brain, all of which damages brain cells and nerves and leads to the physical and cognitive symptoms of the condition.
Alzheimer’s disease often develops years before diagnosis with mild symptoms like a slowed gait and lapses in memory before progressing to more serious physical and cognitive limitations like memory loss or confusion about time and place.
Common signs of Alzheimer’s disease include:
Memory loss and changes that disrupt daily life
Difficulty making decisions, planning, and solving problems, like planning and cooking a meal
Confusion about time and place
Difficulty completing familiar tasks like bathing or dressing
Trouble comprehending visual images or spatial relationships
Struggling to find the right words to speak or write
Misplacing items in odd places or losing the ability to retrace steps
Poor or decreased judgment about safety
Withdrawal from work and social activities
Changes in mood or personality such as depression or mood swings
Physical therapy can slow Alzheimer’s disease progression and help individuals maintain physical and cognitive function as much as possible through a targeted exercise program.
Research has shown that regular exercise can not only delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease in healthy older adults, but also improve the function and quality of life of Alzheimer’s patients. In fact, higher levels of physical activity are linked to a decreased incidence of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. One study of 160,000 participants found that regular exercise reduced the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 45%.
A physical therapy exercise program can include therapeutic exercise like aerobic exercise (walking, cycling, aquatic therapy) and resistance training; balance training; manual therapy soft tissue and joint mobilizations; gait and neuromuscular retraining; and functional training.
Exercise provides numerous benefits against the neurodegenerative processes of Alzheimer’s disease:
Exercise improves neurotransmitter release, stimulates the production of antioxidant molecules and endorphins, and reduces inflammation in the body and neuroinflammation in the brain.
Exercise boosts blood circulation to the brain which activates brain vascularization, plasticity, and neurogenesis and improves oxygen and nutrient delivery to the brain. These processes are essential to maintain and enhance brain function and promote the growth of new brain cells.
Exercise can enhance attention, executive function, and information processing speed.
Exercise stimulates the production and release of neurotrophic factors, such as BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which aids with glucose control and provides neuroprotective properties.
Exercise increases the volume of the hippocampus and can even reverse hippocampal volume reduction, improving and preserving memory performance.
Exercise restores the permeability and integrity of the BBB (blood-brain barrier) by repairing damage to brain cells and preventing the entry of inflammatory agents and immune cells into the brain.
Exercise helps produce a hormone called irisin that increases neprilysin levels, which can help fight the brain-damaging abnormal protein amyloid beta (AB) that forms plaques in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s.
Exercise improves cardiovascular health like resting heart rate and blood pressure; decreases the risk of falls; enhances sleep and boosts mood; can reduce anxiety and depression; help patients control emotional symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s like irritability and restlessness; and slows cognitive function loss.
