Biomedical Research Center SAS
Topic
Exercise and the brain: extracellular vesicles and exerkines in the interorgan crosstalk. In vivo and in vitro studies
PhD. program
animal physiology
Year of admission
2025
Name of the supervisor
prof. MUDr. Barbara Ukropcová, PhD.
Contact:
Receiving school
Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava
Annotation
Regular, intense physical exercise is an effective prevention of aging-associated decline in cognitive functions, which significantly reduces the risk of Alzheimer's disease (ACh). Exercise stimulates brain plasticity through systemic mechanisms that are activated during muscle contraction. These include exerkines, bioactive molecules that are released into the circulation during exercise, and can act at the brain level. Exerkines can be transported in extracellular vesicles (EVs). The aim of our clinical and in vitro studies is: 1. to determine the effects of physical exercise on the brain (MRI) and cognitive functions in the elderly with an increased risk of developing ACh; 2. to analyze the effect of acute and regular exercise on exerkines and EVs from the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of young active individuals and seniors with an increased risk of ACh; 3. investigate the role of identified exercise-regulated molecules in intercellular communication using established in vitro cell culture models.