Longevity & AgingHow Exercise Keeps Your Brain Young via Muscle-Secreted Signals
This 2025 review in Cell Proliferation examines how exercise delays brain ageing through muscle-brain crosstalk. Skeletal muscle releases signalling molecules called myokines—including BDNF, VEGF, cathepsin B, and M-CSF—that travel through the bloodstream to influence neurogenesis, myelination, neuroinflammation, and cognitive function. The authors synthesize evidence showing that regular exercise preserves hippocampal volume, reduces white matter atrophy, promotes adult neurogenesis in multiple brain regions, and suppresses neuroinflammation linked to dementia. The review highlights bidirectional organ communication and underscores how physical inactivity accelerates brain ageing, while structured exercise offers a potent, modifiable intervention against neurodegenerative decline.
