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Molecular Mechanisms for the Ability of Exercise Supporting Cognitive Abilities and Counteracting Neurological Disorders

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Functional Neuroimaging in Exercise and Sport Sciences

Abstract

New evidence indicates that exercise exerts its effects by affecting ­molecular events related to the management of energy metabolism and synaptic plasticity. An important instigator in the molecular machinery stimulated by exercise is brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which acts at the interface of metabolism and plasticity. Recent studies show that select dietary factors share similar mechanisms with exercise, and in some cases, they can complement the action of exercise. Therefore, exercise and dietary management appear as a noninvasive and effective strategy to counteract neurological and cognitive disorders.

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Acknowledgment

This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Awards NS50465-06, NS068473, and NS56413.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, UCLA, 621 Charles E. Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Fernando Gómez-Pinilla & Cameron Feng

  2. Department of Neurosurgery, UCLA Brain Injury Research Center, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Fernando Gómez-Pinilla & Cameron Feng

Authors
  1. Fernando Gómez-Pinilla
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  2. Cameron Feng
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fernando Gómez-Pinilla .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. FE Klinische Funktionelle Neurobildgebun, Experimentelle Radiologie, Radiologische Universitätsklinik Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, Bonn, 53105, Germany

    Henning Boecker

  2. , Department of Kinesiology and Community, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champai, S. Goodwin Ave. 906, Urbana, 61801, USA

    Charles H. Hillman

  3. FE Klinische Funktionelle Neurobildgebun, Experimentelle Radiologie, Radiologische Universitätsklinik, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, Bonn, 53105, Germany

    Lukas Scheef

  4. Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln, Institut für Bewegungs- und Neurowissens, Am Sportpark Müngersdorf 6, Köln, 50933, Germany

    Heiko K. Strüder

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Gómez-Pinilla, F., Feng, C. (2012). Molecular Mechanisms for the Ability of Exercise Supporting Cognitive Abilities and Counteracting Neurological Disorders. In: Boecker, H., Hillman, C., Scheef, L., Strüder, H. (eds) Functional Neuroimaging in Exercise and Sport Sciences. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3293-7_2

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