Vedovelli Kelem, Giacobbo Bruno Lima, Corrêa Márcio Silveira, Wieck Andréa, Argimon Irani Iracema de Lima, Bromberg Elke
Laboratory of Biology and Development of the Nervous System, Faculty of Biosciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Ipiranga Av., 6681, Building 12D, room 34, Porto Alegre, RS, 90619-900, Brazil.
Graduate Program in Biomedical Gerontology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Ipiranga Av., 6690, Third Floor, Porto Alegre, RS, 90610-000, Brazil.
Geroscience. 2017 Aug;39(4):407-417. doi: 10.1007/s11357-017-9987-5. Epub 2017 Jul 13.
Physical activity has been proposed as a promising intervention to improve cognition and decrease the risk of dementia in older adults. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) appears to mediate, at least partially, these effects of exercise. However, intervention studies of the effects of multimodal exercises on cognition and BDNF levels are scarce and composed by small samples. Thus, the generalization of the conclusions of these studies depends on the reproducibility of the results. In order to contribute to the knowledge on the field, the present study evaluated the effects of a physical activity intervention composed by muscle strengthening and aerobic conditioning on BDNF levels and cognition in older women. Independent and non-demented subjects (≥75 years) were assigned to a 3-month physical activity intervention (n = 22, 60 min exercise sessions three times a week) or to a control condition (n = 10, no exercise). Clinical (anxiety and depression symptoms), neuropsychological (Digit Span, Stroop, Trail Making, and Contextual Memory tests), physical (upper and lower limb strength, aerobic conditioning), and physiological (serum BDNF) parameters were evaluated immediately before, 1 month, and 3 months after starting intervention. Results indicated that controls had stable levels for all measured variables, whereas the intervention group improved on physical fitness, depressive symptoms, cognitive performance, and BDNF levels. Moreover, a linear regression identified an association between aerobic conditioning and BDNF levels. In conclusion, combined muscle strengthening and aerobic conditioning was able to improve cognitive performance and increase BDNF levels. Aerobic conditioning seems to be an important mediator of these outcomes.
体育活动被认为是一种有前景的干预措施，可改善老年人的认知能力并降低患痴呆症的风险。脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）似乎至少部分介导了运动的这些作用。然而，关于多模式运动对认知和BDNF水平影响的干预研究很少，且样本量较小。因此，这些研究结论的推广取决于结果的可重复性。为了增进该领域的知识，本研究评估了一项由肌肉强化和有氧训练组成的体育活动干预对老年女性BDNF水平和认知能力的影响。将独立且未患痴呆的受试者（≥75岁）分为两组，一组接受为期3个月的体育活动干预（n = 22，每周三次，每次60分钟锻炼），另一组为对照条件（n = 10，不锻炼）。在干预开始前、1个月和3个月后，对临床（焦虑和抑郁症状）、神经心理学（数字广度、斯特鲁普、连线测验和情境记忆测试）、身体（上肢和下肢力量、有氧训练）和生理（血清BDNF）参数进行评估。结果表明，对照组所有测量变量的水平保持稳定，而干预组在身体素质、抑郁症状、认知表现和BDNF水平方面有所改善。此外，线性回归分析确定了有氧训练与BDNF水平之间的关联。总之，肌肉强化和有氧训练相结合能够改善认知表现并提高BDNF水平。有氧训练似乎是这些结果的重要介导因素。
