In this final episode of the Bioenergetics and Brain Health series I talk about changes that occur in brain cells during normal aging, and in Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke with emphasis on alterations upstream and downstream of cellular energy metabolism. The episode concludes with examples of therapeutic interventions that target those age- and disease-related alterations.

LINKS:

Hallmarks of Brain Aging

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6039826/pdf/nihms979409.pdf

Brain Energy Rescue:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7948516/pdf/nihms-1624328.pdf

The Hormesis Principle of Brain Health and Resilience

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5209274/pdf/nihms834422.pdf

In this third podcast in the Bioenergetics and Brain Health series I talk about how intermittent exercise and fasting affect brain function, neuroplasticity, and resilience. Research has shown that both of these bioenergetic challenges can enhance learning and memory, improve mood, counteract aging, and protect neurons against injury and disease. I provide an overview of evidence that over periods of weeks and months cycling between challenge (exercise and fasting) and recovery (resting, eating, sleeping) periods stimulates the formation of new synaptic connections between neurons, increases neurogenesis, and bolsters neuronal stress resistance. These adaptations of brain cells to bioenergetic challenges are mediated by hormonal factors released from peripheral organs including ketones, and by changes in gene expression in brain cells. A better understanding of how bioenergetic challenges affect the brain provides a rationale for incorporating exercise and fasting into lifestyles and is also revealing new approaches for pharmacological interventions in neurological disorders.

This is the second in a series of presentations on the interrelationships between energy metabolism, brain function and resilience, and disease processes. In this episode I describe how mitochondria are moved about within axons and dendrites, how mitochondria divide, fuse with each other, and are eliminated when they become dysfunctional. Importantly, mitochondria influence and respond to activity in neuronal networks in ways that optimize energy efficiency and promote the formation and maintenance of synapses between neurons. I also introduce the next presentation which will focus on how physical exercise and intermittent fasting affect brain function, plasticity, and resilience.