Division of Medical Sciences and Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.
Developmental, Cognitive & Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics, University of Houston, TX, USA.
Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis. 2020 Aug 1;1866(8):165821. doi: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2020.165821. Epub 2020 May 3.
The hippocampus is a brain structure known to play a central role in cognitive function (namely learning and memory) as well as mood regulation and affective behaviors due in part to its ability to undergo structural and functional changes in response to intrinsic and extrinsic stimuli. While structural changes are achieved through modulation of hippocampal neurogenesis as well as alterations in dendritic morphology and spine remodeling, functional (i.e., synaptic) changes can be noted through the strengthening (i.e., long-term potentiation) or weakening (i.e., long-term depression) of the synapses. While age, hormone homeostasis, and levels of physical activity are some of the factors known to module these forms of hippocampal plasticity, the exact mechanisms through which these factors interact with each other at a given moment in time are not completely understood. It is well known that hormonal levels vary throughout the lifespan of an individual and it is also known that physical exercise can impact hormonal homeostasis. Thus, it is reasonable to speculate that hormone modulation might be one of the various mechanisms through which physical exercise differently impacts hippocampal plasticity throughout distinct periods of an individual's life. The present review summarizes the potential relationship between physical exercise and different types of hormones (namely sex, metabolic, and stress hormones) and how this relationship may mediate the effects of physical activity during three distinct life periods, adolescence, adulthood, and senescence. Overall, the vast majority of studies support a beneficial role of exercise in maintaining hippocampal hormonal levels and consequently, hippocampal plasticity, cognition, and mood regulation.
海马体是大脑结构的一部分，已知其在认知功能（即学习和记忆）以及情绪调节和情感行为中起着核心作用，部分原因是它能够响应内在和外在刺激来进行结构和功能的变化。虽然结构变化是通过调节海马神经发生以及树突形态和棘突重塑来实现的，但功能（即突触）变化可以通过突触的增强（即长时程增强）或减弱（即长时程抑制）来观察到。虽然年龄、激素稳态和身体活动水平是已知调节这些海马体可塑性形式的因素之一，但这些因素在特定时刻相互作用的确切机制尚不完全清楚。众所周知，个体的一生中激素水平会发生变化，而且身体活动也会影响激素稳态。因此，可以合理地推测，激素调节可能是身体活动通过不同方式在个体生命的不同时期影响海马体可塑性的各种机制之一。本综述总结了身体活动与不同类型激素（即性激素、代谢激素和应激激素）之间的潜在关系，以及这种关系如何在三个不同的生命阶段（青春期、成年期和老年期）调节身体活动的影响。总的来说，绝大多数研究支持运动在维持海马体激素水平以及由此产生的海马体可塑性、认知和情绪调节方面的有益作用。
