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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Neuroplasticity is an essential mechanism by which the nervous system shapes and adapts according to functional requirements. Evidence suggests that physical exercise induces a cascade of cellular processes that favors brain plasticity. The Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) is a neurotrophin closely linked to neuroplasticity that can be increased due to exercise. To verify the effects of therapeutic exercise on neuroplasticity and/or peripheral BDNF levels in neurological conditions in adults, such as stroke, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, and mild cognitive impairment, and address its clinical relevance in the treatment of neurological dysfunctions. A systematic review was carried out using PUBMED, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. Inclusion criteria were: randomized controlled trials or pilot studies; humans age > 18 yrs with a neurological condition; English language; score ≥ 6 on the PEDro Scale (moderate to high quality). Reviews, meta-analyses, and other articles that did not meet the criteria were excluded. The PRISMA methodology was applied for the studies’ selection. A total of 9 studies were selected for a systematic and comprehensive analysis. According to these studies, moderate to high-intensity aerobic exercise (AE), increases the level of peripheral BDNF and positively influences functional gains in neurological conditions. Larger outcomes are observed in protocols with a minimum session duration of 30 minutes, frequency of 3 times/week, and intervention duration of 4 weeks. Current evidence shows that moderate to high-intensity AE induces neuroplasticity in neurological patients, thus being a fundamental therapeutic strategy to include in interventions aiming to repair/delay neurological dysfunctions.
Description
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: this work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) in the scope of the FCT-IBEB Strategic Project UIDB/00645/2020 (Sofia R. Fernandes); Maria Teresa Tomás is affiliated in Health & Technology Research Center, ESTeSL - Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa which is supported by FCT/MCTES (UIDB/05608/2020 and UIDP/05608/2020).
Keywords
Physiotherapy Rehabilitation Neuroplasticity Exercise therapy BNDF Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor FCT_UIDB/05608/2020 FCT_UIDP/05608/2020
Citation
Cardoso SV, Fernandes SR, Tomás MT. Therapeutic importance of exercise in neuroplasticity in adults with neurological pathology: systematic review. Int J Exerc Sci. 2014;17(1):1105-19.