Exercise Improves Vascular Function, but does this Translate to the Brain?

The number of adults with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or related dementia is expected to increase exponentially. Interventions aimed to reduce the risk and progression of AD and dementia are critical to the prevention and treatment of this devastating disease. Aging and cardiovascular disease risk factors are associated with reduced vascular function, which can have important clinical implications, including brain health. The age-associated increase in blood pressure and impairment in vascular function may be attenuated or even reversed through lifestyle behaviors. Greater volumes of habitual exercise and higher cardiorespiratory fitness are associated with beneficial effects on vascular health and cognition. Exercise and cardiorespiratory fitness may be most important during midlife, as physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness during the middle-aged years are associated with future cognitive function. The extent to which exercise, and more specifically aerobic exercise, influences the cerebral circulation is not well established. In this review, we present our working hypothesis showing how cerebrovascular function may be a mediating factor underlying the association between exercise and cognition, as well as discuss recent studies evaluating the effect of exercise interventions on the cerebral circulation.