Abstract
The prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing worldwide, which has been associated with poor cognitive outcomes. Participating in regular physical exercise may also improve cognition, and levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), but the optimal exercise prescription remains to be elucidated. The purpose of the present study is to compare the effects of moderate intensity continuous training (MICT) and high intensity interval training (HIIT) on cognition, and serum BDNF levels in middle-aged and overweight men. Twenty-five sedentary, overweight men participated in the 8-week training intervention. Subjects were randomized into MICT (n = 12) or HIIT (n = 13) and performed exercise sessions 3x/week for 8-weeks. Cognitive function, and serum BDNF levels were assessed pre- and post-intervention. Statistical analysis was carried out using the Graph Pad Prism 7.0, and the level of significance was set at 5%. Significant improvements were observed in cognitive test scores, and BDNF levels in MICT and HIIT groups (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in cognitive function between MICT and HIIT. The present study implicates that 8 weeks of MICT or HIIT may be a very useful non-pharmacological treatment option to improve cognitive function, and BDNF levels in middle-aged overweight men.
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The authors would like to acknowledge CAPES and FAPEMIG.
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Neumir Sales de Lima: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Writing. Ricardo Augusto Leoni De Sousa: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Writing, Reviewing and Editing. Fabiano Trigueiro Amorim: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Writing, Reviewing and Editing. Fernando Gripp: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis. Caíque Olegário Diniz e Magalhães: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis. Samuel Henrique Pinto: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis. Marco Fabrício Dias Peixoto: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis. Renato Sobral Monteiro-Junior: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis. Kelsey Bourbeau: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis. Ricardo Cardoso Cassilhas: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Writing, Resources, Supervision, Writing, Reviewing & Editing.
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Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) – APQ-01436-15. Ricardo Augusto Leoni De Sousa received fellowship from Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Brazil - Finance Code 001.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This study was approved under the protocol number 667.788 by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of the Valleys of Jequitinhonha and Mucuri.
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de Lima, N.S., De Sousa, R.A.L., Amorim, F.T. et al. Moderate-intensity continuous training and high-intensity interval training improve cognition, and BDNF levels of middle-aged overweight men. Metab Brain Dis 37, 463–471 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11011-021-00859-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11011-021-00859-5