Wu Jiarui, Gao Dongdong, Leng Lu, Mai Younian, Huang Chen, Hu Min, Huang Junhao
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Physical Activity and Health Promotion, Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
College of Foreign Languages, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Eur J Appl Physiol. 2025 Sep 18. doi: 10.1007/s00421-025-05992-y.
Appropriate physical exercise could prevent, delay, or reverse cognitive decline in aging people, which could improve their quality of life. However, the underlying mechanisms are still elusive. The present study aimed to explore the effects of 8-week Flexi-bar vibration exercise (FE) on the cognitive function in middle-aged and elderly women and uncover the underlying mechanisms.
Thirty middle-aged and elderly women were randomly assigned to the FE group or the control group (n = 15 in each group). Executive function and real-time oxyhemoglobin concentration (oxy-Hb) changes in different cerebral regions were evaluated through the Color-Word Stroop Test and functional near-infrared spectroscopy, respectively. Circulating levels of Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression levels of microRNAs were determined using microRNA sequencing and real-time PCR approaches, followed by an integrated bioinformatics/biostatistics analysis.
Our data showed that 8 weeks of FE had a positive effect on preventing cognitive decline, with improved blood oxygen content in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), up-regulated BDNF level, and down-regulated level of TNF-α in serum. Besides, our data showed that 14 microRNAs, which are related to the cognitive function, were up/down-regulated in the FE group.
Our study revealed that 8-week FE could regulate the expression levels of microRNAs related to cognitive function, elevate BDNF level, and decrease TNF-α level, and thus improve cognitive performance in middle-aged and elderly women.
适当的体育锻炼可以预防、延缓或逆转老年人的认知衰退，从而提高他们的生活质量。然而，其潜在机制仍不清楚。本研究旨在探讨为期8周的Flexi-bar振动锻炼（FE）对中老年女性认知功能的影响，并揭示其潜在机制。
30名中老年女性被随机分为FE组或对照组（每组n = 15）。分别通过颜色-文字斯特鲁普测试和功能近红外光谱评估执行功能和不同脑区的实时氧合血红蛋白浓度（oxy-Hb）变化。采用酶联免疫吸附测定法测量脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）和肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）的循环水平。使用microRNA测序和实时PCR方法测定microRNA的表达水平，随后进行综合生物信息学/生物统计学分析。
我们的数据表明，8周的FE对预防认知衰退有积极作用，背外侧前额叶皮质（DLPFC）的血氧含量增加，血清中BDNF水平上调，TNF-α水平下调。此外，我们的数据表明，FE组中有14种与认知功能相关的microRNA上调/下调。
我们的研究表明，为期8周的FE可以调节与认知功能相关的microRNA的表达水平，提高BDNF水平，降低TNF-α水平，从而改善中老年女性的认知表现。
