Exerkines: A Crosstalk between Lactate Production, Exercise and Mental Health.

Muscle skeletal striated cells secrete a wide range of proteins called myokines or "exerkines", which in turn perform autocrine, paracrine, or endocrine functions. For being able to act in the communication between skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, and mainly the brain, exerkines play a prominent role and potential influence on health promotion. Furthermore, we detected in the literature that one of these potential therapeutic substances derived from muscle contraction is a molecule derived from glycolytic metabolism that in the past was largely marginalized, the lactate. Currently, studies are dedicated to examining the target structures for exerkines that may contribute to the maintenance and restoration of mental health. Thus, lactate appears to be recognized as a critical mediator of exercise-related changes and their health benefits, particularly in their role in communication and coordination between organs. It is inferred that the BDNF expression mechanism can be induced by lactate, which in turn derives from the activation of SIRT pathways 1 and 2 and activates the PGC1-α cascade. The behavior of lactate concentration is intensity-dependent, directly related to the type of fast-twitch fibers (type IIb) and the recruitment of these fibers would potentiate the responses in the brain. In this sense, high-intensity exercise would establish itself as an important strategy to be considered. Despite this understanding, there is still much to be done. However, lactate appears to be a highly promising exerkine for future research initiatives and a potential biomarker to reduce illness and promote mental health.

Relationship between anaerobic cycling tests and mountain bike cross-country performance.

Despite its apparent relevance, there is no evidence supporting the importance of anaerobic metabolism in Olympic crosscountry mountain biking (XCO). The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between XCO race time and performance indicators of anaerobic power. Ten XCO riders (age: 28 ± 5 years; weight: 68.7 ± 7.7 kg; height: 177.9 ± 7.4 cm; estimated body fat: 5.7 ± 2.8%; estimated ·VO2max: 68.4 ± 5.7 ml·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹) participating in the Lagos Mountain Bike Championship (Brazil) completed 2 separate testing sessions before the race. In the first session, after anthropometric assessments were performed, the cyclists completed a single 30-second Wingate (WIN) test and an intermittent tests consisting of 5 × 30-second WIN tests (50% of the single WIN load) with 30 seconds of recovery between trials. In the second session, the riders performed a maximal incremental test. A significant correlation was found between race time and maximal power on the 5× WIN test (r = -0.79, IC(95%) -0.94 to -0.32, p = 0.006) and the mean average power on the 5× WIN test normalized by body mass (r = -0.63, IC(95%) -0.90 to -0.01, p = 0.048). The finding of the study supports the use of anaerobic tests for assessing mountain bikers participating in XCO competitions and suggests that anaerobic power is an important determinant of performance.

Clinical applications of exercise in Parkinson's disease: what we need to know?

INTRODUCTION: Exploring the potential of exercise in the rehabilitation process of patients with Parkinson's (PD) may be an interesting treatment perspective. Exercise-induced responses derived from neurotrophic elements appear to ameliorate the decline in neurodegeneration. Despite this understanding, the literature needs to be updated. AREAS COVERED: Our review focuses on: a) the key mechanisms of exercise on PD, highlighting mainly the responses related to neuroplasticity; b) the effects induced by different traditional types of exercise, also highlighting the effects of complementary therapies related to movement; c) the volume of exercise required to support efficient results are explored in the context of PD. Additionally, the proposition of new clinical application strategies in the context of PD will also be determined. EXPERT OPINION: It is suggested that different intensities of aerobic exercise be explored for the treatment of PD. The results associated with high intensity seem promising for performance, physiological and clinical parameters, such as BDNF production and cognition. On the other hand, the diversification of tasks and repetition of motor gestures appear as consistent arguments to exercise prescription. Finally, for future investigations, the neuromodulation strategy in association with aerobic exercise appears as a potential inducer of benefits on gait and cognitive function.

Can regular physical exercise be a treatment for panic disorder? A systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: In the last few decades, exercise has been explored as a potential tool to reduce symptoms experienced by patients with panic disorder (PD). This systematic review aims to assess the effects of regular exercise interventions on panic severity, global anxiety, and depression symptoms of these patients. AREAS COVERED: A search was conducted on PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials using search terms related to PD and exercise. Eight trials were included, Furthermore, regular exercise programs presented different methodological characteristics. There is o clear evidence indicating that regular exercise programs (at least two 20-minute sessions per week for at least 6 weeks) reduce panic-related symptoms. Regular exercise is effective in improving global anxiety measures and depression. EXPERT OPINION: Continuous aerobic exercise is the main type of intervention in the literature, generally providing a limited prescription. Currently, it is recommended the interval training, with intense and shorter stimuli, and long-term duration trials. However, despite the use of self-selected intensities and control based on the internal load be interesting as recommendation to increase adherence, careful is needed regarding training prescription due to scarce evidence.

Exercise is medicine: a new perspective for health promotion in bipolar disorder.

INTRODUCTION: Similar effects in reducing the symptoms of the mood disorder are reported in the literature compared the action of drugs and aerobic exercise sessions, demonstrating the potential of exercise in the control and mood stabilization. Therefore, there are many reasons to believe that the increased cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max) can be an important means of protection and a reducing potential of physical and mental damage in bipolar disorders (BD). This review will highlight the current pattern of response of exercise on the pathophysiology of BD, relating the possible mechanisms, and hypotheses based on exercises. AREAS COVERED: The mechanism of monoaminergic action and its relationship with exercise, role of physical conditioning and increased VO2Max on neurotrophin release, and new perspectives on long-term exercise will be reviewed. EXPERT OPINION: The adaptations to training, although little explored in the context of BD, can induce the expression of substances that co-regulate several processes related to the pathophysiology of BD. Furthermore, high intensity interval training (HIIT) can also be adjusted to improve the physical fitness and health in patients with BD. Future research is needed to adopt a training strategy that is both time efficient and adequate for the population in question.

Can caffeine intake combined with aerobic exercise lead to improvement in attentional and psychomotor performance in trained individuals?

To evaluate the acute effects of ingestion of 500 mg of caffeine in addition to aerobic exercise on the optimization of cognitive attention tasks and simple reaction time. Twenty men were randomly divided into two groups, caffeine (CAF) and placebo (PLA), and underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing and cognitive testing (D2SLK, D2GZ, D2F% and TRS). Then, both ingested 500 mg of caffeine or placebo (double blind), and after 60 min performed a 30-minute continuous exercise session at 70 % VO2Max. Cognitive tests were repeated immediately after exercise, and after 30 min. D2SLK, D2GZ, D2F% and TRS scores were compared by repeated measures ANOVA. The magnitude of the effect was established, and it was considered meaningful p = 0.05. CAF is able to alter D2SLK and also reduce D2F% (0.001 - moderate effect, 0.82) and improve the task after 30 min of exercise (p = 0.014 - moderate effect 0.95). The TRS showed significant gains for the CAF group compared to PLA (0.000 - high effect 1.76). Caffeine induces significant effects in attention and reaction time domains independent of the effect of aerobic exercise.

Effects of Selected Cognitive-Motor Intervention on the Level of Physical Literacy and Executive Functionsin Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder Girls: A One-month Follow-up Study / Efectos de la Intervención Cognitiva-Motora Seleccionada Sobre el Nivel de Literacia Física y Las Funciones Ejecutivas en Niñas con Trastorno por Déficit de Atención e Hiperactividad: Un Estudio de Seguimiento de un Mes / Efeitos da Intervenção Cognitivo-Motora Selecionada sobre o Nível de Literacia Física e Funções Executivas de Meninas sobre o Transtorno de Déficit de Atenção/Hiperatividade: Um Estudo de Acompanhamento de Um Mês

The aim of thepresent study was to investigate the effectiveness of selected cognitive-motor intervention on the level of physical literacy (PL) and executive functions of Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) girls in a one-month follow-up plan. The statistical population included 30 girls with ADHD, all from Yazd (15 participants per group, experimental and control) were selected based on DSM-V criteria. While the control group was not exposed to any treatment andjust continued working as usual, the experimental group participated in 18 sessions (3 sessions a week) of the cognitive-motor program. In order to evaluate PL, the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy Second Edition (CAPL-2), and for executive function the Continuous Performance Test (sustained attention) and Computer Mapping of the Tower of London task (motion planning) were used. Data analysis wa also conducted using the mixed varianceanalysis test with repeated measures and an independent T-test at a significance level of p≤.05. According to the results, the experimental group had better performance in PL and executive functions (sustained attention and movement planning) in the posttest and follow-up than the pretest. But, in the control group, no significant difference was observed between the test stages. Moreover, comparing the groups, the experimental group had better performance than the control group in PL, sustained attention, and movement planning. Therefore, cognitive-motor intervention can be used to develop PL and executive functions of ADHD girls.(AU)

El objetivo del estudio fueinvestigar la efectividad de una intervención cognitiva-motora seleccionada en el nivel de la Literacia Física (PL) y funciones ejecutivas de niñas contrastorno por déficit de atención e hiperactividad (TDAH) en un plan de seguimiento de un mes. La población eran niñas con TDAH, de Yazd, 15 participantes por grupo, experimental y control, fueron seleccionadas según los criterios del DSM-V. Mientras que el grupo de control no estuvo expuesto a ningún tratamiento y siguió trabajando como de costumbre, el grupo experimental participó en 18 sesiones del programa cognitivo-motor. (3 sesiones/sem). Para evaluar la PL se utilizó Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy Second Edition (CAPL-2), y para la función ejecutiva el Continuous Performance Test (atenciónsostenida) y la tarea Computer Mapping of the Tower of London (planificación motora). Un análisis de varianza mixta con medida repetida y una prueba T independiente fue realizada a un nivel de significancia de p≤.05. De acuerdo con los resultados, el grupoexperimental tuvo mejor desempeño en PL y funciones ejecutivas (atención sostenida y planificación motora) en el posprueba y seguimiento que en la prueba previa. Pero, en el grupo de control, no se observó diferencia significativa entre las etapas de laprueba. Al comparar los grupos, se demostró que el grupo experimental tuvo un mejor desempeño que el grupo de control en PL, atención sostenida y planificación motora. Por lo tanto, la intervención cognitivo-motora se puede utilizar para desarrollar la PL y las funciones ejecutivas de las niñas con TDAH.(AU)

O objetivo do presente estudo foi investigar a eficácia da intervenção cognitivo-motora selecionada no nível de Literacia Física (PL) e funções executivas de meninas com transtorno de déficit de atenção/hiperatividade (TDAH) com um plano de acompanhamento de um mês. A população foi composta por 30 meninas meninas com TDAH, todas de Yazd, as quais (15 participantes por grupo, experimental e controlo) foram selecionadas com base nos critérios do DSM-V. Enquanto o grupo controlo não foi exposto a nenhum tratamento e apenas continuou trabalhando normalmente, o grupo experimental participou de 18 sessões do programa cognitivo-motor (3 sessões/semena). Para avaliar a PL, foi utilizado o Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy Second Edition (CAPL-2), e para a função executiva o Continuous Performance Test (atenção sustentada) e a tarefa de Computer Mapping of the Tower of London (planeamentomotor). A análise dos dados também foi realizada por meio do teste de análise de variância mista com medida repetida e um t test de amsotras independentescom nível designificância p≤.05. De acordo com os resultados, o grupo experimental demonstrou melhor desempenho em PL e funções executivas (atenção sustentada e planeamento motor) no pós-teste do que no pré-teste. Já no grupo controlo não frami observadasdiferenças significativas entre as etapas do teste. A comparação dos grupos evidenciou que o grupoexperimental teve melhor desempenho do que o grupo controlo na alfabetização física, atenção sustentada e planeamento motor. Portanto, a intervenção cognitivo-motora pode ser usada para desenvolver a PL e as funções executivas de meninas com TDAH.(AU)

Neural Mechanisms of Exercise: Effects on Gut Miccrobiota and Depression.

Microbiota is a set of microorganisms resident in gut ecosystem that reacts to psychological stressful stimuli, and is involved in depressed or anxious status in both animals and human being. Interestingly, a series of studies have shown the effects of physical exercise on gut microbiota dynamics, suggesting that gut microbiota regulation might act as one mediator for the effects of exercise on the brain. Recent studies found that gut microbiota dynamics are also regulated by metabolism changes, such as through physical exercise or diet change. Interestingly, physical exercise modulates different population of gut bacteria in compared to food restriction or rich diet, and alleviates gut syndromes to toxin intake. Gut microbiota could as well contribute to the beneficial effects of exercise on cognition and emotion, either directly through serotonin signaling or indirectly by modulating metabolism and exercise performance.

Neural Mechanism of Exercise: Neurovascular Responses to Exercise.

Physical exercise is responsible for different metabolic and hemodynamic changes, including increased cerebral blood flow and perfusion. It is known that running increases vascular endothelial growth factor expression in the brain, which is critical for the anti-depressive effects of adult neurogenesis induced by physical exercise. Both animal and human studies revealed that neurovascular responses to physical exercise are well correlated to adult hippocampal neurogenesis and cognition improvement. Yet it is unknown if the increased blood perfusion to hippocampus is affecting the adult neurogenesis. Manipulating systemic blood pressure, or stimulating the cerebral blood flow with alternative measures, might provide useful tools to understand how much neurovascular plasticity contributes to the brain cognition enhancement by physical exercise. In addition, it will be interesting to examine the responses of brain cells (including neuron, glia and endothelia cells) to increased shear stress and oxygen load, to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Neural Mechanisms of Exercise: Anti-Depression, Neurogenesis, and Serotonin Signaling.

Depression is associated with decreased serotonin metabolism and functioning in the central nervous system, evidenced by both animal models of depression and clinical patient studies. Depression is also accompanied by decreased hippocampal neurogenesis in diverse animal models. Neurogenesis is mainly defined in dentate gyrus of hippocampus as well as subventricular zone. Moreover, hypothalamus, amygdala, olfactory tubercle, and piriform cortex are reported with evidences of adult neurogenesis. Physical exercise is found to modulate adult neurogenesis significantly, and results in mood improvement. The cellular mechanism such as adult neurogenesis upregulation was considered as one major mood regulator following exercise. The recent advances in molecular mechanisms underlying exercise-regulated neurogenesis have widen our understanding in brain plasticity in physiological and pathological conditions, and therefore better management of different psychiatric disorders.

Aerobic Exercise Does Not Predict Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor And Cortisol Alterations in Depressed Patients.

The pathophysiology of depression is related to neurobiological changes that occur in the monoamine system, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, neurogenesis system and the neuroimmune system. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the research of the effects of exercise on brain function, with a special focus on its effects on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), cortisol and other biomarkers. Thus, the aim of this study is to present a review investigating the acute and chronic effects of aerobic exercise on BDNF and cortisol levels in individuals with depression. It was not possible to establish an interaction between aerobic exercise and concentration of BDNF and cortisol, which may actually be the result of the divergence of methods, such as type of exercises, duration of the sessions, and prescribed intensity and frequency of sessions.

Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Anxiety Disorders: A Systematic Review.

Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric disorders observed currently. It is a normal adaptive response to stress that allows coping with adverse situations. Nevertheless, when anxiety becomes excessive or disproportional in relation to the situation that evokes it or when there is not any special object directed at it, such as an irrational dread of routine stimuli, it becomes a disabling disorder and is considered to be pathological. The traditional treatment used is medication and cognitive behavioral psychotherapy, however, last years the practice of physical exercise, specifically aerobic exercise, has been investigated as a new non-pharmacological therapy for anxiety disorders. Thus, the aim of this article was to provide information on research results and key chains related to the therapeutic effects of aerobic exercise compared with other types of interventions to treat anxiety, which may become a useful clinical application in a near future. Researches have shown the effectiveness of alternative treatments, such as physical exercise, minimizing high financial costs and minimizing side effects. The sample analyzed, 66.8% was composed of women and 80% with severity of symptoms anxiety as moderate to severe. The data analyzed in this review allows us to claim that alternative therapies like exercise are effective in controlling and reducing symptoms, as 91% of anxiety disorders surveys have shown effective results in treating. However, there is still disagreement regarding the effect of exercise compared to the use of antidepressant symptoms and cognitive function in anxiety, this suggests that there is no consensus on the correct intensity of aerobic exercise as to achieve the best dose-response, with intensities high to moderate or moderate to mild.

Comparison Among Aerobic Exercise and Other Types of Interventions to Treat Depression: A Systematic Review.

Depression is a common and disabling disease that affects over 100 million people worldwide and can have a significant impact on physical and mental health, reducing their quality of life. Thus, the aim of this article was to provide information on research results and key chains related to the therapeutic effects of chronic aerobic exercise compared with other types of interventions to treat depression, which may become a useful clinical application in a near future. Researches have shown the effectiveness of alternative treatments, such as physical exercise, minimizing high financial costs and minimizing side effects. In this review, the data analyzed allows us to claim that alternative therapies, such as exercise, are effective on controlling and reducing symptoms. 69.3% of the studies that investigated the antidepressant effects of exercise on depressive were significant, and the other 30.7% of the studies improved only in general physiological aspects, such as increased oxygen uptake, increased use of blood glucose and decreased body fat percentage, with no improvement on symptoms of depression. From the sample analyzed, 71.4% was composed of women, and regarding the severity of symptoms, 85% had mild to moderate depression and only 15% had moderate to severe depression. However, there is still disagreement regarding the effect of exercise compared to the use of antidepressants in symptomatology and cognitive function in depression, this suggests that there is no consensus on the correct intensity of aerobic exercise as to achieve the best dose-response, with intensities high to moderate or moderate to mild.

Effects of Exercise on Physical and Mental Health, and Cognitive and Brain Functions in Schizophrenia: Clinical and Experimental Evidence.

Exercise promotes several health benefits, such as cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and cardiorespiratory improvements. It is believed that the practice of exercise in individuals with psychiatric disorders, e.g. schizophrenia, can cause significant changes. Schizophrenic patients have problematic lifestyle habits compared with general population; this may cause a high mortality rate, mainly caused by cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate changes in physical and mental health, cognitive and brain functioning due to the practice of exercise in patients with schizophrenia. Although still little is known about the benefits of exercise on mental health, cognitive and brain functioning of schizophrenic patients, exercise training has been shown to be a beneficial intervention in the control and reduction of disease severity. Type of training, form of execution, duration and intensity need to be better studied as the effects on physical and mental health, cognition and brain activity depend exclusively of interconnected factors, such as the combination of exercise and medication. However, one should understand that exercise is not only an effective nondrug alternative, but also acts as a supporting linking up interventions to promote improvements in process performance optimization. In general, the positive effects on mental health, cognition and brain activity as a result of an exercise program are quite evident. Few studies have been published correlating effects of exercise in patients with schizophrenia, but there is increasing evidence that positive and negative symptoms can be improved. Therefore, it is important that further studies be undertaken to expand the knowledge of physical exercise on mental health in people with schizophrenia, as well as its dose-response and the most effective type of exercise.

Potential Therapeutic Effects of Physical Exercise for Bipolar Disorder.

Cognitive deficits are observed in a variety of domains in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). These deficits are attributed to neurobiological, functional and structural brain factors, particularly in prefrontal cortex. Furthermore, cortical alterations in each phase (mania/hypomania, euthymia and depression) are also present. A growing basis of evidence supports aerobic exercise as an alternative treatment method for BD symptoms. Its benefits for physical health in healthy subjects and some psychiatric disorders are fairly established; however evidence directly addressed to BD is scant. Lack of methodological consistency, mainly related to exercise, makes it difficult accuracy and extrapolation of the results. Nevertheless, mechanisms related to BD physiopathology, such as hormonal and neurotransmitters alterations and mainly related to brain-derived neurotrophic factors (BDNF) can be explored. BDNF, specially, have a large influence on brain ability and its gene expression is highly responsive to aerobic exercise. Moreover, aerobic exercise trough BDNF may induce chronic stress suppression, commonly observed in patients with BD, and reduce deleterious effects caused by allostatic loads. Therefore, it is prudent to propose that aerobic exercise plays an important role in BD physiopathological mechanisms and it is a new way for the treatment for this and others psychiatric disorders.

Acute effect of uphill running: current scenario and future hypotheses / Efeito agudo da corrida ascendente: cenário atual e futuras hipóteses

Strategies for metabolic adjustments are often considered by athletes throughout a running event. Planning for such events during training does not always include variations from level training, even though up/downhill exertion should definitely be a part of such planning. The differentiation of training stimuli, under adverse conditions of intensity and inclination, can generate differentiated benefits. However, uphill running raises expectations of deleterious effects. The imposition of different slope gradients throughout running could generate increased metabolic demands for sports performance. Thus, the present study aimed to answer questions mainly about the acute effects of uphill running, its relationship with aerobic performance, allowing us to introduce new hypotheses for future studies in the area on the subject. Gaps still need to be filled concerning the relevance of uphill running, and its determinants. Many of the points presently under scrutiny only lead to speculative explanations; for logical reasons, more studies should focus on the prescription of training at different slopes. This is the point at which specific conditioning is required, because the regulation of the effort and the energy cost resulting from the imposition of uphill running during competitive races depends heavily on previous experiences. This review will cover recently published research on the subject.

RESUMO Estratégias para ajustes metabólicos são frequentemente consideradas por atletas ao longo de um evento de corrida. O planejamento de tais eventos durante o treinamento nem sempre inclui treinamento em planos inclinados, que deveriam compor esse planejamento. Adiferenciação dos estímulos de treinamento, em condições adversas de intensidade e inclinação, pode gerar benefíciosdiferenciados. No entanto, a corrida ascendente aumenta as expectativas de efeitos deletérios. Portanto, a imposição de diferentes gradientes de inclinação ao longo da corrida poderia gerar demandas metabólicas aumentadas paradesempenho esportivo. Assim, o presente estudo tevecomo objetivo responder questões principalmente sobre os efeitos agudos da corrida ascendente, sua relação com o desempenho aeróbio e a proposição de novas possíveis hipóteses para estudos futuros sobre o assunto. Muitaslacunas ainda precisam ser preenchidas sobre a relevância da corrida ascendente e seus determinantes. Muitas das questões apresentadas apenas levam a explicaçõesespeculativas; por razões lógicas, mais estudos devemse concentrar na prescrição de treinamento em face dediferentes porcentagens de inclinação. Este é o ponto em que o condicionamento específico é necessário, porquea regulação do esforço e do custo de energia resultanteda imposição de corrida ascendente durante corridascompetitivas depende fortemente das experiênciasanteriores.