Endurance training enhances BDNF release from the human brain

Abstract

The circulating level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is reduced in patients with major depression and type-2 diabetes. Because acute exercise increases BDNF production in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex, we hypothesized that endurance training would enhance the release of BDNF from the human brain as detected from arterial and internal jugular venous blood samples. In a randomized controlled study, 12 healthy sedentary males carried out 3 mo of endurance training (n = 7) or served as controls (n = 5). Before and after the intervention, blood samples were obtained at rest and during exercise. At baseline, the training group (58 + or - 106 ng x 100 g(-1) x min(-1), means + or - SD) and the control group (12 + or - 17 ng x 100 g(-1) x min(-1)) had a similar release of BDNF from the brain at rest. Three months of endurance training enhanced the resting release of BDNF to 206 + or - 108 ng x 100 g(-1) x min(-1) (P < 0.05), with no significant change in the control subjects, but there was no training-induced increase in the release of BDNF during exercise. Additionally, eight mice completed a 5-wk treadmill running training protocol that increased the BDNF mRNA expression in the hippocampus (4.5 + or - 1.6 vs. 1.4 + or - 1.1 mRNA/ssDNA; P < 0.05), but not in the cerebral cortex (4.0 + or - 1.4 vs. 4.6 + or - 1.4 mRNA/ssDNA) compared with untrained mice. The increased BDNF expression in the hippocampus and the enhanced release of BDNF from the human brain following training suggest that endurance training promotes brain health.

High-Intensity Interval Exercise and Cerebrovascular Health: Curiosity, Cause, and Consequence

“…133 Whether such improvements are coupled with increased CBF and vascular reactivity are unknown. A higher CBF and vascular reactivity outcome seems tenable given the established links between habitual physical activity, improved cognition, and increased availability of neurotrophins and growth factors in the brain that facilitate neurogenesis, synaptic plasticity, and angiogenesis, 134,135 which as outlined above, may underpin the improved brain vascular function. 136 Further, recent findings in both young 137 and older 138 adults indicate that vascular reactivity may mediate the positive exercise-cognition relation.…”

Cerebral blood flow and cerebrovascular reactivity at rest and during sub-maximal exercise: Effect of age and 12-week exercise training

“…In addition, the reduced stroke risk and improved long-term outcome as a result of physical activity have been postulated to be due to upregulation of endothelial NO synthase (Endres et al 2003;Gertz et al 2006). Additional mechanisms potentially contributing to this increased cerebrovascular reactivity include brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Seifert et al 2010) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (Llorens-Martin et al 2010). Furthermore, hypocapnic cerebrovascular reactivity-a response which is not NO mediated (Peebles et al 2007)-was unchanged following training, further supporting the suggestion that the training-induced elevation in hypercapnic reactivity is mediated by NO.…”

Increased basal plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in sprint runners

“…Although it is well-known that exercise increases BDNF transcription in the brain [8] , recent findings have reported that physical exercise, mostly aerobic endurance exercise, enhances circulating BDNF levels in healthy humans [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] . Interestingly, neither high-intensity strength exercise [17] nor general strength training [25] induces any significant changes in BDNF levels.…”

“…An elegant review has compared the effects of high-intensity exercise and/ or training on BDNF in healthy subjects with the effects in subjects with chronic diseases [7] . Since the release of BDNF is influenced by aerobic training, which increases the release at rest [16,18] , increased circulating BDNF may depend on the level of physical exertion as well as fitness. In a study by Zoladz and collaborators [18] employing a group of athletes competing in various athletic events (sprinters, jumpers, and distance runners), the basal BDNF levels were compared between trained and untrained sub- Data of BDNF levels were presented as mean ± SEM.…”