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Aerobic exercise such as brisk walking, running or cycling can raise levels of BDNF, a protein that helps brain cells survive and form and strengthen connections with each other.

Szuhany et al., 2015

HealthMind

The story behind the card

BDNF stands for brain-derived neurotrophic factor. It is made in the brain and elsewhere in the body, and it supports the survival of nerve cells and the growth and strengthening of the connections between them, part of the brain's capacity to change that scientists call plasticity. A 2015 meta-analysis by Kristen Szuhany and colleagues, pooling 29 studies with about 1,100 participants, found that a single session of exercise raised BDNF in the blood by a moderate amount, and that regular exercise made that rise larger. Regular activity is also linked with modest gains on some memory and planning tests, but how large they are, and how much BDNF drives them, varies between studies. BDNF is one plausible link between exercise and a healthier brain, not the whole explanation.

Türkçe oku
Tempolu yürüyüş, koşu ya da bisiklet gibi aerobik egzersizler BDNF adlı proteinin düzeyini artırabilir. Bu protein, beyin hücrelerinin hayatta kalmasına ve birbirleriyle bağlantı kurup bu bağlantıları güçlendirmesine yardım eder.
Szuhany ve ekibi, 2015

BDNF, İngilizcede “beyinden türeyen nörotrofik faktör” anlamına gelen adın kısaltmasıdır. Beyinde ve vücudun başka yerlerinde üretilir; sinir hücrelerinin hayatta kalmasını, aralarındaki bağlantıların oluşmasını ve güçlenmesini, yani bilim insanlarının plastisite dediği, beynin değişebilme yeteneğini destekler. Kristen Szuhany ve ekibinin 2015'te yayımladığı ve yaklaşık 1.100 katılımcılı 29 araştırmayı bir araya getiren meta-analiz, tek bir egzersiz seansının kandaki BDNF düzeyini orta derecede yükselttiğini, düzenli egzersizin de bu yükselişi büyüttüğünü buldu. Düzenli hareket, bazı bellek ve planlama testlerindeki küçük iyileşmelerle de ilişkili; ama bu iyileşmelerin büyüklüğü ve BDNF'nin bunda ne kadar payı olduğu çalışmadan çalışmaya değişiyor. BDNF, egzersizle daha sağlıklı bir beyin arasındaki olası bağlardan biridir, tek açıklama değildir.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor
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