Author:

Keywords:

Biomarkers, Brain, Cytokines, Exercise, Inflammation, Intracellular signaling peptides and proteins, Long-term potentiation, Myokine, Neurotrophic factor, Synaptic plasticity, Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Endocrinology & Metabolism, Neurosciences, Neurosciences & Neurology, GROWTH-FACTOR-I, VASOACTIVE INTESTINAL POLYPEPTIDE, PLASMA GHRELIN LEVELS, AGE-RELATED ALTERATIONS, LOW-INTENSITY EXERCISE, SKELETAL-MUSCLE CELLS, INDUCED WEIGHT-LOSS, PROTEIN-KINASE-II, NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR, RESISTANCE EXERCISE, Cognition, Hippocampus, Long-Term Potentiation, Neuronal Plasticity, 1103 Clinical Sciences, 1109 Neurosciences, 3209 Neurosciences, 5202 Biological psychology

Abstract:

Physical exercise may improve cognitive function by modulating molecular and cellular mechanisms within the brain. We propose that the facilitation of long-term synaptic potentiation (LTP)-related pathways, by products induced by physical exercise (i.e., exerkines), is a crucial aspect of the exercise-effect on the brain. This review summarizes synaptic pathways that are activated by exerkines and may potentiate LTP. For a total of 16 exerkines, we indicated how blood and brain exerkine levels are altered depending on the type of physical exercise (i.e., cardiovascular or resistance exercise) and how they respond to a single bout (i.e., acute exercise) or multiple bouts of physical exercise (i.e., chronic exercise). This information may be used for designing individualized physical exercise programs. Finally, this review may serve to direct future research towards fundamental gaps in our current knowledge regarding the biophysical interactions between muscle activity and the brain at both cellular and system levels.