维多利亚大学的研究团队发现，定期运动可能有助于大脑清除随年龄积累的有害废物。[1]这项发表在《神经科学趋势》期刊的研究分析了运动如何影响大脑的淋巴清除系统，揭示了运动可通过多个生理机制促进脑部自我清洁的过程。[1]
研究指出，运动能够改善睡眠质量、降低脑部炎症、增强血管健康等多个生理过程。[1]具体来说，运动可以降低血压和血管硬度、激活脑神经元、降低脑部炎症水平、降低静息去甲肾上腺素，并可能增加深度睡眠质量及与脑部清废相关的慢波活动。[1]这些生理变化可能有助于预防认知衰退和痴呆症。[1]
研究团队成员Dr. James Broatch强调，清除大脑日常积累的废物至关重要："如果大脑没有机会清除日常的垃圾，我们知道积累是有害的，尤其是随着年龄增长。"[1]全球每年超过1000万人被诊断为痴呆症，而目前仍没有治愈方法，[1]这使得探索预防性干预措施显得尤为重要。
Researchers at Victoria University have identified a potential mechanism through which regular physical activity could protect cognitive function in older adults. A new analysis published in Trends in Neuroscience examines how exercise influences the brain's lymphatic clearance system, which is responsible for removing accumulated debris [1]. The study suggests that exercise may improve multiple physiological processes that collectively support this waste-removal function, potentially reducing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia [1].
More than 10 million people are diagnosed with dementia globally each year, and currently no cure exists for the condition [1]. According to the research, exercise can lower blood pressure and arterial stiffness, activate brain neurons, reduce neuroinflammation, decrease baseline noradrenaline levels, and enhance sleep quality [1]. Among these benefits, improved sleep may play a particularly important role: exercise could increase deep sleep duration and strengthen slow-wave activity, the brain patterns associated with effective waste clearance [1].
Dr. James Broatch, part of the research team, emphasized the significance of this finding: "If the brain doesn't get an opportunity to clear out the daily garbage, we know that accumulation is harmful, especially as we age" [1].