(Neuro) Peptides, Physical Activity, and Cognition

Abstract

Regular physical activity (PA) improves cognitive functions, prevents brain atrophy, and delays the onset of cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. Presently, there are no specific recommendations for PA producing positive effects on brain health and little is known on its mediators. PA affects production and release of several peptides secreted from peripheral and central tissues, targeting receptors located in the central nervous system (CNS). This review will provide a summary of the current knowledge on the association between PA and cognition with a focus on the role of (neuro)peptides. For the review we define peptides as molecules with less than 100 amino acids and exclude myokines. Tachykinins, somatostatin, and opioid peptides were excluded from this review since they were not affected by PA. There is evidence suggesting that PA increases peripheral insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels and elevated serum IGF-1 levels are associated with improved cognitive performance. It is therefore likely that IGF-1 plays a role in PA induced improvement of cognition. Other neuropeptides such as neuropeptide Y (NPY), ghrelin, galanin, and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) could mediate the beneficial effects of PA on cognition, but the current literature regarding these (neuro)peptides is limited.

Chronic, acute and protocol-dependent effects of exercise on psycho-physiological health during long-term isolation and confinement

“…Although exercise PROTOCOL periods were reduced to four weeks respectively, interval compared to continuous exercise protocol was found to be signi cantly different in the effect on basal IGF-1 level, in which signi cant higher IGF-1 values were found at the end of the continuous training period (CON2) in all participants compared to the end of the interval training (INT2) without carry-over effect. This effect of the moderate-intensity continuous running protocol might be of added value for to date heterogenous ndings regarding exercise recommendations for mental health (34). However, in regard of the heterogeneity of changes from CON1 to CON2 as well as INT1 to INT2, con rmation is required in future studies.…”

“…Increased levels of IGF-1 might coordinate physical adaptation (in reference to physical performance variables). Furthermore, IGF-1 can cross the blood-brain barrier and has been correlated with hippocampus volume and cognitive performance (79), which is why it can be speculated that increased basal IGF-1 levels might also be responsible for the maintenance/protection of cognitive performance (34,80). This is supported by similar ndings regarding IGF-1 level observed in previous short-duration space-analogue isolation missions with regular exercise training along with preserved cognitive performance, mood and state of affect (11,50).…”

Vasoactive neuropeptides and Alzheimer’s disease: a systematic review focusing on calcitonin gene-related peptide

“…CNS neuropeptide signaling has received less attention than fast neurotransmission. Among these neuropeptides, vasoactive peptides, which can be distinguished in vasodilatory (for instance, brain natriuretic peptide, substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide) or vasoconstrictors (for instance, endothelin-1) according to their preponderant vascular effects, are being increasingly recognized, due to their pleiotropic actions on vascular physiology, inflammation, immune homeostasis, as well as their neurotransmitter role in both the central and peripheral nervous system (PNS), as possibly implied in the disease processes [34]. As neurotransmitters, neuropeptides are thought to be released from large dense-core vesicles (LDCV) and act on wider ranges and time scales than amino acid neurotransmitters; their recycling steps are not as well characterized as for fast neurotransmitters, although active reuptake processes have been hypothesized [35,36].…”

Effect of Caffeine Consumption on the Risk for Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders: Sex Differences in Human

“…Sleep mediates changes in various physiological functions, including brain activity, breathing, and heart rate, and sufficient sleep improves attention, creativity, memory, and learning [55]. Insufficient sleep or poor sleep quality can act as a risk factor for a variety of diseases, including dementia, psychosis, and diabetes [56,57]. Prevalence of sleep disorders is high, with about 25-30% of population worldwide having some form of inadequate sleep.…”