Acute high-intensity interval exercise induces greater levels of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor in obese individuals

Abstract

Obesity may attenuate the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), thereby increasing the risk of cognitive dysfunction. High-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) has been shown to be as or more effective than continuous moderate-intensity exercise (CME) in promoting the expression of BDNF in normal-weight individuals. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to examine whether or not acute HIIE could be utilized as a practical model to explore the BDNF response in obese versus normal-weight subjects when compared to acute CME. The potential relationship of exercise-induced BDNF with blood lactate and cortisol was also examined. Twelve male subjects (six obese and six normal-weight) participated in a counterbalanced and caloric equated experiment: HIIE (30 min, 4 intervals of 4 min at 80%–90% of VO2max with 3 min of active recovery at 50–60% VO2max) and CME (38 min at 50%–60% VO2max). Blood samples were collected prior to, immediately following exercise, and 1 h into recovery for measurements of serum BDNF, blood lactate, and plasma cortisol. Our results showed that the BDNF response to acute HIIE was greater than CME in obese subjects when compared to normal-weight subjects. Similarly, although acute HIIE induced greater blood lactate and plasma cortisol levels than CME, obese subjects produced less blood lactate, but no difference in cortisol than normal-weight subjects. These findings suggest that acute HIIE may be a more effective protocol to upregulate BDNF expression in an obese population, independent of increased lactate and cortisol levels. Impact statement High-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) has been shown to be a time-efficient exercise strategy that provides similar or superior physiological benefits as traditional continuous moderate-intensity exercise (CME). Our previous study demonstrated an equivalent elevation on the BDNF response in both obese and normal-weight individuals following 30 min of acute CME. To discover a time-efficient exercise strategy to improve brain health in an obese population, the present study found that obese individuals elicit a greater level of BDNF following acute HIIE versus CME than normal-weight individuals. These findings indicate that acute HIIE may be an effective strategy to upregulate BDNF expression in obese individuals.

Acute Systemic Response Of BDNF, Lactate and Cortisol to Strenuous Exercise Modalities in Healthy Untrained Women

“…These data do not support our hypothesis that peripheral lactate produced following acute strenuous exercise affects circulating BDNF; others have reported similar findings. 19 The apparent lack of BDNF secretion or synthesis can be partially explained by the higher serum cortisol following both strenuous exercise modalities. 31 This phenomena has been reported before, where BDNF increased immediately after the GXT while cortisol levels did not change following an acute ramp exercise.…”

“… 22 A single session of HIIT elicits similar metabolic demands to other continuous exhaustive exercise modalities such as a graded exercise test (GXT). 19 , 23 For instance, BLa levels ≥ 10 mMol/l have been reported following completion of a HIIT session in healthy women. 24 , 25 Additionally to BLa, stress hormones (e.g.…”

“…14 In humans, there is evidence showing that peripheral circulating BDNF levels increase following chronic 15,16 and acute PE sessions 10,17 ; indeed, changes in circulating BDNF are purportedly work-and intensity-dependent. 18,19 For instance, BDNF was higher immediately after a session of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) than during a session of moderateintensity continuous training (MICT). 18 In that study, the blood lactate (BLa) seemed to induce BDNF synthesis in the brain, thus resulting in higher peripheral BDNF levels.…”

Elevated Lactate by High-Intensity Interval Training Regulates the Hippocampal BDNF Expression and the Mitochondrial Quality Control System

“…Recently, the diverse roles of lactate in mediating brain function have been brought into focus, and the positive effect of exercise on brain function has been demonstrated to be mediated by lactate ( Schiffer et al, 2011 ; Tsukamoto et al, 2016a , b ; Charalambous et al, 2018 ; Hashimoto et al, 2018 ; Malik et al, 2018 ; Rodriguez et al, 2018 ; Boyne et al, 2019 ). During HIIT, blood lactate levels can increase from baseline (∼2 mM in human and ∼3 mM in mouse) to 10∼15 mM in human and mouse ( Morland et al, 2017 ; Coxon et al, 2018 ).…”

The Effects of Interval Training on Peripheral Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) In Young Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the effects of acute and chronic IT on circulating BDNF concentrations in apparently healthy young adults. In regard that the exercise response of BDNF is in uenced by gender 37,38 , tness level 39,40 , and exercise intensity [41][42][43] an analysis of moderator variables by subgroups were performed. Finally, we assess the differences of changes in circulating BDNF between serum and plasma after IT.…”