Currently, it has been shown that neurotrophin deficiencies are involved in different diseases such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and depression. Neurotrophins or neurotrophic factors are a family of proteins formed by nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin-1 (NT-1), neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), and neurotrophin-4 (NT-4). They are released into the bloodstream and are capable of binding to receptors on certain cells to stimulate their survival, growth, or differentiation. One of their functions is to prevent target neurons from initiating apoptosis, thus allowing neurons to survive.
What is BDNF?
Mark Tuszynski, from the University of California, demonstrated that one of the factors integrated into this protein family -known as BDNF– prevented neuronal death in models of brain injuries in primates and rats, and also cognitive dysfunction in the same aged animals. BDNF is also considered important for long-term memory (Insua, 2003).
One way to increase brain neurotrophins is to make the brain work to produce larger quantities of these substances. That is, the more active the brain cells are, the more neurotrophins they will produce, and this, in turn, will generate greater connections between different areas of the brain. The consequence will be a brain with better functioning, better memory, and a better mood (Insua, 2003).
Most daily activities consist of a series of routines that make the brain function automatically, with minimal wear, for which it requires minimal energy. That is, routine activities are unconscious, experiences pass through the same already formed neural pathways, and there is no production of neurotrophins. It is good to make the brain “run” with new and different actions. Training such as ISEP’s Master in Clinical Neuropsychology will broaden your perspectives on evaluation, diagnosis, and intervention within the different clinical pathologies that involve Central Nervous System affection and alterations and/or deterioration of cognitive and behavioral processes.
For Iván Izquierdo, a prestigious Argentine neuroscientist, the best recommendation is to read, read, and read, as reading activates all regions of the cerebral cortex (Insua, 2003). On the other hand, physical activity is one of the effective resources to increase neurotrophin levels. In fact, it has emerged as a modulator of higher mental functions throughout life, as it has been shown to affect various neurotransmitter systems. Specifically, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a key mediator in improving synaptic connections and the brain’s ability to change and remodel these connections (plasticity), dependent on use.
Neurotrophic Exercises
In experiments conducted with rats, it was observed that after several days of voluntarily running on a wheel, at least 1-2 km per day, BDNF levels increased in the cells of the hippocampus, a highly plastic structure normally associated with higher cognitive functions rather than motor activity. Changes in the levels of this factor were found in neurons, particularly those of the dentate gyrus (gyrus dentatus or GD), the hilus, and the CA3 region of the hippocampus. These changes appeared within a few days, in both female and male rats, and were sustained over time after several weeks of exercise, with a consequent increase in BDNF protein quantities. In addition to increased BDNF levels in the hippocampus, they were also found in the lumbar spinal cord, cerebellum, and cortex.
Furthermore, a positive correlation was found between the average distance run per day and the increase in BDNF in the hippocampus. Although other trophic factors, including nerve growth factor (NGF) and fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), are also induced in the hippocampus in response to exercise, their increase was transient and less sustained than that caused by BDNF expression, suggesting that the latter is a better candidate as a mediator of the long-term benefits caused by exercise in the brain.
Research conducted in humans suggests that exercise can maintain or improve brain plasticity. Learning, a higher function that requires high plasticity, increases the expression of the BDNF gene, and this, in turn, facilitates learning. These evidences predict that mechanisms that induce BDNF gene expression, such as exercise, can improve learning. Furthermore, running increases a memory-related mechanism called long-term potentiation (LTP) in the GD and improves spatial learning in water maze tests in rats.
In order to increase neurotrophin production and thereby enhance brain plasticity, the Center for Neurobiology at Duke University Medical Center (USA) proposes a series of simple exercises that you can apply to your patients with the training obtained from the master’s in neuropsychology:
1. Try showering with your eyes closed: locate the faucets, adjust the water temperature, find the soap, and find the shampoo.
2. Use your non-dominant hand to eat, write, open toothpaste, or brush your teeth.
3. Read aloud to activate other brain circuits than when reading silently.
4. Change itineraries and take different routes to go to work or return home.
5. Modify routines and change the location of everyday objects.
6. Learn something new: computer science, photography, cooking, yoga, dancing, or a language.
7. Identify objects without looking at them. For example, recognize different fruits or vegetables by touch.
8. Do different things. Go out, talk to people of different ages, jobs, and ideologies. Use the stairs instead of the elevator. Go to the countryside, walk on the beach, in the mountains, climb, etc.