An exercise drug?
Health An exercise drug? Christiane Wrann in her lab.Niles Singer/Harvard Staff Photographer Anna Lamb Harvard Staff Writer June 26, 2025 4 min read Researchers hope to harness the cognitive benefits of a workout for Alzheimer’s patients with mobility issues For years, researchers have seen a connection between exercise and the progression of cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s — but ramping up movement isn’t possible for many patients. A new study looks at how to mimic those benefits without having to hit the gym. “We know that exercise does so many good things to the brain and against Alzheimer’s disease,” said senior author Christiane Wrann, assistant professor of medicine at the Cardiovascular Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. “Instead of prescribing the exercise, we actually want to activate these molecular pathways using pharmacology to improve cognitive function in these patients.” According to the Centers for Disease Control, an estimated 6.7 million adults have Alzheimer’s disease in the...