Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche) (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy.
Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement (Dipartimento di Scienze Psicologiche, Pedagogiche, dell'Esercizio fisico e della Formazione), University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy.
Genes (Basel). 2019 Sep 17;10(9):720. doi: 10.3390/genes10090720.
Physical activity (PA) has been central in the life of our species for most of its history, and thus shaped our physiology during evolution. However, only recently the health consequences of a sedentary lifestyle, and of highly energetic diets, are becoming clear. It has been also acknowledged that lifestyle and diet can induce epigenetic modifications which modify chromatin structure and gene expression, thus causing even heritable metabolic outcomes. Many studies have shown that PA can reverse at least some of the unwanted effects of sedentary lifestyle, and can also contribute in delaying brain aging and degenerative pathologies such as Alzheimer's Disease, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis. Most importantly, PA improves cognitive processes and memory, has analgesic and antidepressant effects, and even induces a sense of wellbeing, giving strength to the ancient principle of "" (i.e., a sound mind in a sound body). In this review we will discuss the potential mechanisms underlying the effects of PA on brain health, focusing on hormones, neurotrophins, and neurotransmitters, the release of which is modulated by PA, as well as on the intra- and extra-cellular pathways that regulate the expression of some of the genes involved.
身体活动（PA）在我们物种的大部分历史中都是其生活的核心，因此在进化过程中塑造了我们的生理学。然而，直到最近，久坐不动的生活方式和高能量饮食的健康后果才变得清晰起来。人们也认识到，生活方式和饮食可以诱导表观遗传修饰，改变染色质结构和基因表达，从而导致甚至可遗传的代谢结果。许多研究表明，PA 至少可以逆转一些久坐不动的生活方式的不良影响，还可以帮助延缓大脑衰老和退行性病变，如阿尔茨海默病、糖尿病和多发性硬化症。最重要的是，PA 可以改善认知过程和记忆力，具有镇痛和抗抑郁作用，甚至会产生幸福感，这印证了古老的原则：“健全的精神寓于健全的身体”。在这篇综述中，我们将讨论 PA 对大脑健康影响的潜在机制，重点讨论激素、神经营养因子和神经递质，它们的释放受到 PA 的调节，以及调节一些相关基因表达的细胞内和细胞外途径。
