Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Feb;20(1):43-50.
doi: 10.1080/17461391.2019.1611929. Epub 2019 May 4.

Short-time high-intensity exercise increases peripheral BDNF in a physical fitness-dependent way in healthy men

Barbara Moura Antunes  1 , Fabrício Eduardo Rossi  2   3 , Ana Maria Teixeira  4 , Fábio Santos Lira  1
Affiliations
Free article

Short-time high-intensity exercise increases peripheral BDNF in a physical fitness-dependent way in healthy men

Barbara Moura Antunes et al. Eur J Sport Sci. 2020 Feb.
Free article

Abstract

BDNF is associated with brain health and positively modulated by exercise; however, the influence of physical fitness status on BDNF is incipient. This study investigated the BDNF response after acute-exercise sessions performed at low, moderate, and high intensities and the relationship between physical fitness status and BDNF response. Twenty-eight men, divided according to physical fitness status (<50th or >50th percentile for VO2max), performed three randomised acute exercise sessions at low (90% of VT1), moderate (midpoint between VT1-VT2), and high (midpoint between VT2-Wmax) intensities until exhaustion or for up to 60 min. Lactate and BDNF were determined pre and post-exercises. For BDNF, there were main effects of time (p = 0.003) and interaction (p < 0.001), showing an increase post high-intensity exercise (p < 0.001). Changes in BDNF presented differences between conditions (p < 0.001) with greater increase in high-intensity compared with the others (p = 0.003). For lactate, there were main effects of time (p < 0.001), condition (p < 0.001), and interaction (p < 0.001) with greater concentration in high-intensity. High-intensity exercise exhibited inverse correlation between the changes in BDNF and lactate (r=-0.38, p = 0.044). There was significant correlation between BDNF and VO2max for moderate (r = -0.57, p = 0.002) and a trend for high-intensity condition (r = -0.37, p = 0.050) and when evaluating BDNF according to physical fitness level, it was observed that subjects with lower physical fitness levels had greater increases in BDNF in short-time high-intensity exercise (p = 0.041). In conclusion, short-time high-intensity exercise seems to be more efficient in increasing BDNF concentration, and physical fitness level influences this response, as healthy individuals with lower physical fitness levels were more responsive.

Keywords: BDNF; brain health; high-intensity training; lactate; neurotrophin.

PubMed Disclaimer

Substances