- Membership & Community
-
Publications & News
- Physiology Journals
-
Newsroom
-
The Physiologist Magazine
- 2019
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024
- In Depth
-
Mentoring Forum
- Net Worth
- Take Care
- You … In Charge
- Work. It. Out.
- Working Off-site
- Location, Location, Location?
- Student Support
- Progressing to Postdoc
- Relationship Building
- Let’s Get It Started
- What Do We Value?
- It’s a Postdoc Life
- Coronavirus Contributions
- Creative Communications
- Selection Process
- Conference Connections
- Postdoc Appreciation
- Research Rewards
- Focus on Teaching
- Industry Insights
- Balance Beam
- Post Postdoc
- If You Build It
- Talk It Through
- Forward Bound
- I’ve Earned My PhD. Now What?
- University Life
- Tips for Trainees
- Time Travel
- Prepare Now for the Career You Want
- Landing a Postdoctoral Researcher Position
- Becoming a Physician-Scientist
- Mastering the Art of Science Communication
- Policy IQ
- Publish with Polish
- Under the Microscope
- Mentoring Q&A
- Evolution
- Baseline by Scott Steen, CAE, FASAE
- Find Us on Social Media
-
The Physiologist Magazine
-
Professional Development
-
Meetings & Events
-
American Physiology Summit
- #APS2024 Overview
- Abstracts
- Awards at the Summit
- Award Lectures
- Career Networking Lunch Form
- Dates and Deadlines
- Advocate for Women's Health Research Funding
- Hotel Information
- Industry Partners
- Keynote Speaker—James Rothman, PhD
- Keynote Speaker—George Brooks, PhD, FAPS
- Keynote Speaker—Holly Ingraham, PhD
- Mobile App
- NIH and NSF Program Officer Panel Discussion Form
- Physical Poster Information
- PhysioHub
- Pre-Summit Events
- Registration
- Section & Group Banquet Tickets
- Social Events
- Speaker Audiovisual Instructions
- Summit FAQs
- Summit Newsroom
- Undergraduate Program Book
- Travel & Transportation
- Liability Waiver
- Industry Partners
- Martin Frank Diversity Travel Award Orientation Agenda
- Martin Frank Diversity Travel Award Networking Luncheon Agenda
- Women in Physiology Networking Event Agenda
-
2023
- APS 2023 Call for Proposals
- Shocklogic Test
- Team 2023 Task Force
- Shaping the Summit
- Schedule at a Glance
- Pre-Summit Events
- Pre-Summit Center for Physiology Education Workshop Registration
- Section & Groups Banquet Tickets
- Pre-Summit Center for Physiology Education Workshop
- Press Registration
- Meet the Organizers
- Keynote Speaker—Terrie Williams, PhD
- Keynote Speaker—David Julius, PhD
- Industry Workshop Information
- Important Dates and Deadlines
- Hotel Information
- Game Changers
- Distinguished Lecturers
- Building APS 2023
- Awards at the Summit
- 2023 Summit Information
- American Physiology Summit Program
- 2023 Summit Newsroom
- 2024
- Scientific Integrity Policy
- Integrative Physiology of Exercise Conference
- From Concept to Classroom
- Webinars
- Related Meetings
- Future APS Conferences
-
Past APS Conferences
- APS Institute on Teaching and Learning
- Integrative Physiology of Exercise
- Seventeenth International Conference on Endothelin (ET-17)
- New Trends in Sex and Gender Medicine
- APS Institute on Teaching and Learning (2022)
- Control of Renal Function in Health and Disease Conference
- Comparative Physiology: From Organisms to Omics in an Uncertain World
- Conference Policies
-
American Physiology Summit
- Awards
-
Career & Professional Development
-
Career Gateway
-
Resources
- Transcript—Leading Through Conflict and Difficult Conversations
- Transcript—Managing Conflict with Colleagues
- Transcript—Leading a Team Through Conflict
- Transcript—Providing Difficult Feedback
- Transcript—Team Dynamics and Culture Primer
- Transcript—Building a Team
- Transcript—Leading a Team Assigned to You
- Transcript—Creating a Team Culture
-
Resources
- Career Navigator
- Center for Physiology Education
- Job Board
- Mentoring
- APS Graduate Physiology & Biomedical Science Catalog
-
Career Gateway
-
Meetings & Events
-
Advocacy & Resources
- Policy Areas
-
Resources
- Researcher Resources
- Educator Resources
- Trainee Resources
- Student Resources
-
APS Graduate Physiology & Biomedical Science Catalog
- Des Moines University
- East Tennessee State University
- George Washington University
- Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences—Biomedical Engineering & Physiology
- Michigan State University
- New York Medical College
- Nova Southeastern University
- Pennsylvania State University
- Texas A&M University
- Texas A&M University Medical Physiology
- Stony Brook University
- The University of Iowa
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- University at Buffalo
- University of Colorado
- University of Michigan
- University of Minnesota
- University of Missouri-Biomedical Sciences
- University of Nebraska Medical Center
- University of Nevada, Reno
- University of Oregon
- University of South Carolina School of Medicine
- University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC)
- University of Texas Health Science Center
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Wayne State University
- Wake Forest University
- Physiology Department Catalog Submission Form
- Women's Health Research Initiative
- Career Gateway
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Advocacy
- About APS
Rockville, Md. (September 27, 2021)—A common treatment for Alzheimer’s disease may help people with the earliest stages of the disease maintain mitochondrial function in their muscles in addition to slowing cognitive decline. The first-of-its-kind study is published ahead of print in Function.
Research suggests people with Alzheimer’s disease, a form of cognitive impairment, have mitochondrial dysfunction throughout the body. Mitochondria, often described as the “powerhouses of the cells,” are the structures inside the cells that produce energy. Previous studies have also shown that people with Alzheimer’s disease have reduced exercise capacity compared to healthy adults. However, the mitochondrial function in the muscles of cognitively impaired adults hasn’t been studied extensively.
The researchers of a new study investigated adults over the age of 60 who had the earliest stage of Alzheimer’s disease-related cognitive decline, called mild cognitive impairment. Some of the participants were not being treated for cognitive impairment, while others were being treated—for at least a month prior to the study—with a medication commonly used to slow the decline of Alzheimer’s disease called donepezil. The cognitive impairment groups were compared with a control group of cognitively healthy adults that were matched for age, sex and weight.
The volunteers participated in an exercise test on a treadmill, which measured their exercise capacity. In addition, they were given a fitness tracker to wear at home for seven days. The research team measured the participants’ mitochondrial function in their muscles and expression of genes linked to mitochondrial function. The researchers found that the untreated group had reduced mitochondrial function compared to the treated and control groups. Donepezil altered the expression of multiple genes in the treated group, including those involved in mitochondrial regulation and function, fatty acid metabolism and protein synthesis in the muscles.
“Donepezil significantly reduces the rate of cognitive decline in early [Alzheimer’s disease], and our results suggest it may also mediate protection against reductions in skeletal muscle respiratory capacity,” the research team wrote. “This work provides additional evidence of systemic mitochondrial dysfunction and muscle metabolism.”
Other findings of the study include:
- Volunteers with treated mild cognitive impairment were not as physically active as the untreated and control groups.
- Volunteers with treated mild cognitive impairment tired more quickly during the graded exercise test than the untreated and control groups.
- Volunteers with untreated mild cognitive impairment had less fat mass than the treated and control groups.
Read the full article, “Mild cognitive impairment and donepezil impact mitochondrial respiratory capacity in skeletal muscle,” published ahead of print in Function.
NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: To schedule an interview with a member of the research team, please contact APS Media Relations or call 301.634.7314. Find more research highlights in our Newsroom.
Physiology is a broad area of scientific inquiry that focuses on how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function in health and disease. The American Physiological Society connects a global, multidisciplinary community of more than 10,000 biomedical scientists and educators as part of its mission to advance scientific discovery, understand life and improve health. The Society drives collaboration and spotlights scientific discoveries through its 16 scholarly journals and programming that support researchers and educators in their work.
Related Content
- Females Heal More Quickly than Males after Muscle Injuries
- Removing Bile Acid Receptor in Gut Blocks Intestinal Inflammation
- Contracting RSV Before Age 2 Can Cause Long-term Lung Changes and Impairment
- ‘Good’ Fat Metabolism Changes Tied to Estrogen Loss, Not Necessarily to Aging
- Sweat Rate Calculator Blocks Heat Illness, Boosts Athletic Performance
- New American Physiological Society Leaders Take Office
- Journal Launches with New Focus on Interorgan Communication
Contact Us
For questions, comments or to share your story ideas, email us.