bims-empneu Biomed News
on Exercise and Molecular Pathways Involved in Neuroprotection
Issue of 2021‒06‒13
six papers selected by
Navabeh Zare-Kookandeh
Victoria University


  1. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2021 ;12 660181
      Increasing evidence indicates that physical activity and exercise training may delay or prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, systemic biomarkers that can measure exercise effects on brain function and that link to relevant metabolic responses are lacking. To begin to address this issue, we utilized blood samples of 23 asymptomatic late middle-aged adults, with familial and genetic risk for AD (mean age 65 years old, 50% female) who underwent 26 weeks of supervised treadmill training. Systemic biomarkers implicated in learning and memory, including the myokine Cathepsin B (CTSB), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and klotho, as well as metabolomics were evaluated. Here we show that aerobic exercise training increases plasma CTSB and that changes in CTSB, but not BDNF or klotho, correlate with cognitive performance. BDNF levels decreased with exercise training. Klotho levels were unchanged by training, but closely associated with change in VO2peak. Metabolomic analysis revealed increased levels of polyunsaturated free fatty acids (PUFAs), reductions in ceramides, sphingo- and phospholipids, as well as changes in gut microbiome metabolites and redox homeostasis, with exercise. Multiple metabolites (~30%) correlated with changes in BDNF, but not CSTB or klotho. The positive association between CTSB and cognition, and the modulation of lipid metabolites implicated in dementia, support the beneficial effects of exercise training on brain function. Overall, our analyses indicate metabolic regulation of exercise-induced plasma BDNF changes and provide evidence that CTSB is a marker of cognitive changes in late middle-aged adults at risk for dementia.
    Keywords:  Alzheimer’s disease; BDNF; Cathepsin B; cognition; exercise; human; klotho; metabolomics
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2021.660181
  2. Front Neurol. 2021 ;12 600365
      Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the world. Stroke not only affects the patients, but also their families who serve as the primary caregivers. Discovering novel therapeutic targets for stroke is crucial both from a quality of life perspective as well as from a health economic perspective. Exercise is known to promote neuroprotection in the context of stroke. Indeed, exercise induces the release of blood-borne factors that promote positive effects on the brain. Identifying the factors that mediate the positive effects of exercise after ischemic stroke is crucial for the quest for novel therapies. This approach will yield endogenous molecules that normally cross the blood brain barrier (BBB) and that can mimic the effects of exercise. In this minireview, we will discuss the roles of exercise factors released by the liver such as beta-hydroxybutyrate (DBHB), by the muscle such as lactate and irisin and by the bones such as osteocalcin. We will also address their therapeutic potential in the context of ischemic stroke.
    Keywords:  BDNF; beta-hydroxybutyrate; exercise factors; irisin; lactate; osteocalcin; stroke
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2021.600365
  3. J Alzheimers Dis. 2021 Jun 01.
      BACKGROUND: Many studies have shown the impact of acute aerobic exercises (AAE) on cognition in healthy adults or at a pre-dementia stage. Few studies, however, have explored the positive effects of AAE in moderate Alzheimer's disease (ADM) patients.OBJECTIVE: Evaluating the effect of AAE on cognitive functions in ADM patients.
    METHODS: Overall, 79 (age: 69.62±0.99) ADM patients were recruited. Participants were divided into three groups according to the task: aerobic exercises done alone or combined with cognitive games presented on a screen, and a control group who performed a reading task. The aerobic exercise protocol consisted of a 20-min cycling exercise of moderate intensity, corresponding to 60%of the individual target maximal heart rate recorded in a 6-minute walking test. The participants' cognition was monitored before and after the intervention using the Tower of Hanoi, Digit Span, and Stroop tasks.
    RESULTS: After the exercise, the participants' attention in both the physical and combined groups improved for the Stroop, the forward and backward Digit Span tasks, as well as the time taken to solve the Tower of Hanoi, although no significant differences were found in the number of moves taken in the latter. By contrast, the control group did not show any significant improvement for most of the cognitive tasks after the reading session.
    CONCLUSION: Current evidence suggests that AAE may help to improve cognitive functions in ADM patients. This improvement is enhanced when the exercise is combined with cognitive games. Safe and progressive types of exercises should be promoted among ADM patients.
    Keywords:  Aerobic exercises; Alzheimer disease; attention; solving problem; working memory
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-201317
  4. Physiol Rep. 2021 Jun;9(11): e14851
      The beneficial effects of exercise training on memory formation are well documented. However, the memory enhancement profile following the time-course of exercise training remains unknown. In this investigation, changes in the spatial hippocampal memory following a time-course of swimming exercise training were examined. Young adult Wistar rats were tested for both short-term and long-term memories using the radial arm water maize (RAWM) paradigm following 0, 1, 7, 14, and 28 days of swimming exercise training (60 min per day, 5 days/week)s. The mean total errors on RAWM during the learning phase and memory testing remained the same (p > 0.5) after 1 day of swimming exercise. On the other hand, swimming exercise-induced significant enhancement to the learning phase and memory formation after 7 days of training (p < 0.01). Errors decreased (p < 0.0001) after 7 days of training and remained lower (p < 0.0001) than baseline without differences between 7, 14, and 28 days (p > 0.5). Similarly, short- and long-term memories improved after 7 days (p < 0.05) of training as compared to the baseline without differences between 7, 14, and 28 days (p > 0.05). The time course of improvement of learning and both short- and long-term memories after swimming exercise were evident after 7 days and plateaued thereafter. Results of the current study could form the base for future utilization of exercises to enhance cognitive function in healthy individuals.
    Keywords:  exercise; learning; maze; memory; time course
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.14851
  5. Hippocampus. 2021 Jun 08.
      The hippocampus is particularly susceptible to neurodegeneration. Physical activity, specifically increasing cardiorespiratory fitness via aerobic exercise, shows promise as a potential method for mitigating hippocampal decline in humans. Numerous studies have now investigated associations between the structure and function of the hippocampus and engagement in physical activity. Still, there remains continued debate and confusion about the relationship between physical activity and the human hippocampus. In this review, we describe the current state of the physical activity and exercise literature as it pertains to the structure and function of the human hippocampus, focusing on four magnetic resonance imaging measures: volume, diffusion tensor imaging, resting-state functional connectivity, and perfusion. We conclude that, despite significant heterogeneity in study methods, populations of interest, and scope, there are consistent positive findings, suggesting a promising role for physical activity in promoting hippocampal structure and function throughout the lifespan.
    Keywords:  cardiorespiratory fitness; exercise; magnetic resonance imaging; perfusion; white matter
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/hipo.23337
  6. Rev Med Chil. 2021 Jan;pii: S0034-98872021000100037. [Epub ahead of print]149(1): 37-44
      BACKGROUND: Among older people, physical exercise improves cognitive function, aerobic fitness, and thus functional independence.AIM: To determine the effects of a walking training program on aerobic fitness and cognitive function in older women with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
    MATERIAL AND METHODS: An experimental study was carried out in 76 women with type 2 diabetes mellitus aged between 64 and 78 years. Thirty-eight women in the exercise group (EG) participated in a controlled walking program 3 times a week for 48 sessions (60min /day) and 38 women in the control group (CG) were not trained. Weight, height, body mass index (BMI), estimated maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), and cognitive function using the Minimental test were evaluated at baseline and the end of the intervention.
    RESULTS: The Minimental test improved significantly in the exercise group and did not change in the control group. Estimated VO-2max improved in women aged between 69 and 78 years. The distance walked in 6 minutes increased in all women of the experimental group. No changes in these parameters were observed in the control group.
    CONCLUSIONS: A structured walking program improved cognitive function, estimated aerobic capacity, and walking distance in these diabetic women.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.4067/S0034-98872021000100037