The relationship between physical activity, cognition and Alzheimer's disease-related blood and brain biomarkers

[Truncated abstract] Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, and is characterised by a gradual decline in cognitive function, changes in personality, and an eventual loss of normal bodily functions, eventually leading to death. Currently, there is no effective treatment for AD, with pharmaceutical therapies only providing partial temporary relief of symptoms for some people affected by this devastating disease. Drugs that target the underlying cause of the disease have all failed, as the critical regions of the brain involved with memory and learning are too severely damaged. Thus, attention is now being directed at prevention approaches to fighting AD. A large body of research has linked lifestyle factors with the onset and development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and its associated neuropathology. In particular, previous studies have recognised that physically active individuals have a reduced risk of dementia and AD, compared with their sedentary counterparts. Nevertheless, the effect of physical activity on biological factors associated with AD has been predominantly restricted to animal research, and thus these findings require confirmation in human cohorts. The present thesis has aimed to further the understanding of the association between physical activity and AD risk, by evaluating factors that have been previously linked with AD development...