KEEPING YOUR BRAINBRAIN FITResearch by Jeff Burns, MD,

Associate Director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Center at KU Medical Center is examining the relationship between exercise and brain health. In particular, researchers are interested in exploring how physical activity may prevent the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

“We are confi dent that exercise promotes bett er brain health,” Dr. Burns said. “We hope our research will prove that defi nitively and defi ne the parameters of how much exercise is needed to see results.”

Physical exercise might aff ect the brain in a variety of ways: increased blood fl ow to the organ, changes in hormones, and the presence of antioxidants. What the Medical Center researchers are after is the ‘why’ of the relationship. “We must understand what connects physical exercise to mental health,” Dr. Burns said. “We want to prove it and show specifi cally why this happens.”

The study constructed by Dr. Burns is fairly straightforward: because walking is the most common form of exercise for older Americans, the subjects are asked to walk on treadmills for a set period of time. Heart rate is assessed, patient exertion is pushed to certain levels, and researchers att empt to capture the essence of what activity does to the brain.

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Retiree Howard Kemper, who is 87, is one of the subjects participating in the research study. Kemper visits KU Medical Center four or five times in a single month every two years. He is hooked up to a breathing apparatus while jogging on a treadmill to measure his level of physical fitness.

Kemper was selected as a healthy, or “normal” subject, and was eager to help out, even though he has no family history of Alzheimer’s disease.

“I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve been healthy most of my life,” Kemper said. “I thought if I could be of some help in early detection, diagnosis or treatment of this disease, I should do it.”

The next step in the research is a clinical trial of exercise, which will study the benefits of three to five days of exercise a week over six months. Exercise will be conducted at local YMCAs, and all participants will be paired with exercise trainers. This way, the researchers will be able to track how exercise relates to brain change over a compressed time period and use that information to attack the threat posed by Alzheimer’s disease.

“We’re looking at different dosages of exercise and almost thinking of it as a drug,” Dr. Burns said. “We are asking basic questions, such as: What is the minimum amount of exercise that provides brain benefits and do higher amounts of exercise provide additional benefits?” Dr. Burns said if exercise can be proven to even slightly marginalize the disease, tremendous benefits can reach an expanding segment of society.

Approximately 5.3 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, and it ranks as the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States. There are currently four medications for treating Alzheimer’s disease, but nothing approaching a cure.

“Unfortunately, the current available medications don’t modify or change the outcome of the disease,” said Dr. Burns. “In fact, there’s more evidence that exercise, which is a simple intervention, can have an impact on the disease. And if we can definitively prove that, this would really energize public health efforts to find better ways to use exercise as a medicine itself. This would also take us a step closer to developing drugs that may provide the healthy benefits of the effects of exercise on the brain.”

Preliminary data, both in the Medical Center’s research and in the field’s literature, has strongly indicated that individuals who increase fitness levels experience better brain health, but proving that connection is a challenge. The most promising clues lie in the genetic cascades triggered by physical activity, which spur neurogenesis – growth of the brain.

Comparable studies with animals have seen increases in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), the protein that sparks new cell growth, when increased fitness is introduced. Robyn Honea, PhD, a research assistant professor in neurology, has been working with Dr. Burns over the last two years studying

how exercise affects the brain. “The effects that we’re seeing from increased fitness levels are very encouraging,” Dr. Honea said. “There is a clear correlation between high fitness levels, which help

An estimated 5.3 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer’s Disease. This number

is expected to double by 2050.

Alzheimer’s is a public health crisis with a diagnosis every 70 seconds.

Kansas has an estimated 53,000 residents over 65 diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

Missouri has an estimated 110,000 residents over 65 diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

and treatment after the effects catalyzed by those activities.

Of course, a larger challenge might be how to convince seniors to increase their physical activity at a time in their lives when there is a tendency to slow down.

“There are certainly obstacles we face in finding the best ways for older people to exercise,” said Dr. Burns. “Walking is the best and most common form, but as people age it becomes harder for them to push themselves to do it, particularly if they live alone or live in an area that doesn’t present many good opportunities for walking.”

But Dr. Burns said if we are making inroads on improving brain health for older adults, then we simply must confront these behavioral health issues.

produce BDNF, and protection of the brain from toxicity and the stresses of aging.”

Part of the challenge in exploring the connections between fitness and brain health is the novelty of the research methods. Brain imaging, as a comparatively new technology, is only now making itself a driving force of research innovation. Medical Center researchers are now utilizing a new horizon of research with technology, the capabilities of which are still being realized.

“Brain imaging allows us to measure things we could only speculate about a few years ago,” Dr. Honea said. “We have the capability to measure a wider range of metrics, from cognitive behavior to lifestyle measures.”The exercise study is just one component of KU Medical Center’s Brain Aging Project, which aims to determine how brain changes relate to lifestyle factors. If Medical Center scientists and physicians can pinpoint the best and worst activities for overall brain health, they can pattern future drugs

Women are more likely than men to have Alzheimer’s

Disease and other dementias.

African-Americans are about two times more likely and Latinos are

about one and one-half times more likely than

their white counterparts to have Alzheimer’s and other

dementias.

ENDOWED FUNDSAn endowed fund can make your infl uence last for generations. These funds can support research, education or patient care in perpetuity. When you endow a fund, you may name it after yourself, or you may name it to honor and pay tribute to mentors or loved ones. The minimum contribution for establishing an endowed fund is based on the amount of support needed for the fund’s purpose. For purposes such as providing resources for a research or patient education project, you may establish an endowed fund with a minimum $30,000 gift. An endowed research professorship to provide salary support, staff, laboratory equipment or supplies can be created for a minimum of $1 million.

EXPENDABLE FUNDSExpendable funds provide readily available resources and are used for the purpose designated by the donor until exhausted. Expendable funds may support a special research project, clinic need or a patient education activity. Donors may establish a new expendable fund with a minimum contribution of $5,000.

PLANNED GIFTSYou can create a fund to benefi t the KU Alzheimer’s Disease Center in the future by establishing a bequest to KU Endowment through your will or living trust or naming KU Endowment as the benefi ciary of your IRA or retirement plan today. Other gifts, such as charitable gift annuities and charitable remainder trusts, provide steady, secure income and immediate tax benefi ts for you, the donor, and ultimately provide support for the KU Alzheimer’s Disease Center.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

STEPHANIE GRINAGEVice President for Medical Development

913-588-5552sgrinage@kuendowment.org

www.kualzheimer.orgwww.kuendowment.org

THE MISSION OF THE KU ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE CENTER THE MISSION OF THE KU ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE CENTER is to promote healthy brain aging and innovative research in Alzheimer’s disease.

Join in and help us build support for ongoing research eff orts in Alzheimer’s disease. Your tax-deductible fi nancial contribution to KU Endowment for the KU Alzheimer’s Disease Center can support pilot studies, graduate fellowships and other research, educational and clinical priorities. Gifts of any size can make a diff erence. Small amounts will accumulate over time to create substantial resources for the program.

To help, please contact Stephanie Grinage at KU Endowment’soffi ce at the KU Medical Center, sgrinage@kuendowment.org, 913-588-5552 or 888-588-5249.

HOW TO GIVE

MAILMake checks payable to:

KU Endowment - KU Alzheimer’s Disease Center

MAIL TO:KU Endowment

c/o Stephanie GrinageMail Stop 3012, 3901 Rainbow Blvd.

Kansas City, KS 66160

ONLINEDonations can also be made via the internet:

www.kuendowment.org