The Effects of Acute Cardiovascular Exercise on Memory and Its Associations With Exercise-Induced Increases in Neurotrophic Factors

Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

Brigitte Röder¹  Laura A. Kuhne¹  Kirsten Hötting¹  Thomas Jacobs²  Anna-Maria Ksiezarczyk³  Rüdiger Reer³  Klaus-Michael Braumann³ 

[1] Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany;Protozoa Immunology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany;Sports and Exercise Medicine, Institute of Human Movement Science, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany;

关键词: learning;    memory;    physical exercise;    neurotrophic factors;    BDNF;    VEGF;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fnagi.2021.750401

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Due to increasing life expectancy, low-cost interventions to counteract age-related memory impairment have gained popularity. Physical activity has been shown to positively affect memory and hippocampal plasticity in rodents and humans. These effects have been proposed to be mediated by the release of neurotrophic factors. However, studies examining the effects of a single cardiovascular exercise session on human memory have yielded conflicting results. Moreover, it remains unclear whether exercise-induced memory enhancements are related to changes in peripheral neurotrophic factor concentrations. The present study tested whether one bout of cardiovascular exercise during an early phase of memory consolidation, compared to one bout of stretching and toning, positively affected memory. Furthermore, it was analyzed whether exercise-induced changes in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were related to memory enhancement after a single bout of physical exercise. Fifty healthy participants (20–40 years) were randomly assigned to either a cycling group (BIKE) or a stretching and toning group (STRETCH). Participants performed an implicit vocabulary learning task which was immediately followed by physical exercise. Memory for the learned vocabulary was tested 1–2 weeks later. To measure exercise-induced changes in serum neurotrophic factor levels, blood samples were collected at rest (baseline) and immediately after the exercise session. Results did not show a significant difference in memory between the BIKE group and the STRETCH group. However, in the BIKE group, a larger increase in BDNF and VEGF levels was observed than in the STRETCH group. Moreover, the increase in BDNF and memory performance tended to be positively related in the BIKE group. We speculate that the correlation between exercise-increased BDNF levels and memory in the cycling group may indicate an involvement of BDNF in mediating memory processes after acute cardiovascular exercise.

【 授权许可】

Unknown