By Lordina Agyekum

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Deborah O’Dell

Abstract

As the world progresses, scientists have made strides to increase longevity and comfort when it comes with aging. However, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s disease have made it harder for older adults to have such palliative care due to memory decline. Dementia and other cognitive issues that have manifested in these diseases, have a myriad of causes, however, one part remains that it is due to a decline in the synaptic and neural connection between neurons, decrease in energy homeostasis, and cell death as it comes with age (Wilson, 2023) (Wei, 2025). As these features progress in the early stages of these diseases, symptoms worsen. Currently, there is no cure for these neurological diseases, however many treatments have been made to reduce associated symptoms.

Currently measures that are linked to increasing memory consolidation for NDs have not been sought or discovered. Yet, exercise has been shown to increase the synaptic connection between projections in the brain in healthy individuals. Researchers have shown that increases aerobic activity is associated with increase in cognition and learning, especially when it comes to memory.