Abstract
The purpose of the study was to examine the acute effect of a strength training session on brain-derived neurotrophic factor and insulin-like growth factor 1. Furthermore, the influence of a 10-week strength training program on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) resting levels and memory performance was studied. Fifteen untrained subjects followed a strength training program for 10 weeks. Eight control subjects remained physically inactive. To study the influence of an acute strength training session, blood samples were taken before and after the sixth and 30th sessions. Training effects were evaluated by taking blood samples at rest before and following the training program. Short- and mid-term memories were assessed using the digit span and a recall of images test. BDNF, IGF-1 and its binding protein (IGFBP-3) were measured in serum samples. Data were analyzed (p < 0.05) using a mixed design ANOVA model, Duncan’s multiple range post hoc tests, and Pearson’s correlation. A single strength training session did not influence BDNF and IGF-1 concentrations. No effect of the strength training period on BDNF, IGF-1, and IGFBP-3 was found. No correlation was found between peripheral BDNF and IGF-1. Short-term memory improved in both the experimental and control groups, but no difference between groups was present. Mid-term memory did not improve following the 10 weeks of training. A period of strength training in sedentary subjects does not significantly change the growth factors or memory function compared to a control group. Also, BDNF and IGF-1 are not acutely influenced by a training session. Further research should focus on the beneficial role of physical exercise in neurodegenerative diseases.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adlard PA, Perreau VM, Engesser-Cesar C, Cotman CW (2004) The timecourse of induction of brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA and protein in the rat hippocampus following voluntary exercise. Neurosci Lett 363:43–48
Aguiar AJ, Speck A, Prediger R, Kapczinski F, Pinho R (2008) Downhill training upregulates mice hippocampal and striatal brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels. J Neural Transm 115:1251–1255
Anlar B, Sullivan K, Feldman E (1999) Insulin-like growth factor-I and central nervous system development. Horm Metab Res 31:120–125
Borst S, De Hoyos D, Garzarella L, Vincent K, Pollock B, Lowenthal D, Pollock M (2001) Effects of resistance training on insulin-like growth factor-I and IGF binding proteins. Med Sci Sports Exerc 33:648–653
Carro E, Nunez A, Busiguina S, Torres-Aleman I (2000) Circulating insulin-like growth factor I mediates effects of exercise on the brain. J Neurosci 20:2926–2933
Cassilhas R, Viana V, Grassmann V, Santos R, Santos R, Tufik S, Mello M (2007) The impact of resistance exercise on the cognitive function of the elderly. Med Sci Sports Exerc 39:1401–1407
Castellano V, White L (2008) Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor response to aerobic exercise in multiple sclerosis. J Neurol Sci 269:85–91
Cian C, Koulmann N, Barraud PA, Raphel C, Jimenez C, Melin B (2000) Influence of variations in body hydration on cognitive function: effect of hyperhydration, heat stress, and exercise-induced dehydration. J Psychophysiol 14:29–36
Cian C, Barraud PA, Melin B, Raphel C (2001) Effects of fluid ingestion on cognitive function after heat stress or exercise-induced dehydration. Int J Psychophysiol 42:243–251
Colcombe S, Kramer AF (2003) Fitness effects on the cognitive function of older adults: a meta-analytic study. Psychol Sci 14:125–130
Copeland J, Heggie L (2008) IGF-I and IGFBP-3 during continuous and interval exercise. Int J Sports Med 29:182–187
Cotman CW, Berchtold NC (2002) Exercise: a behavioral intervention to enhance brain health and plasticity. Trends Neurosci 25:295–301
Ding Q, Vaynman S, Akhavan M, Ying Z, Gomez-Pinilla F (2006) Insulin-like growth factor I interfaces with brain-derived neurotrophic factor-mediated synaptic plasticity to modulate aspects of exercise-induced cognitive function. Neuroscience 140:823–833
Duman C, Schlesinger L, Terwilliger R, Russell D, Newton S, Duman R (2009) Peripheral insulin-like growth factor-I produces antidepressant-like behavior and contributes to the effect of exercise. Behav Brain Res 198:366–371
Erickson K, Kramer A (2009) Aerobic exercise effects on cognitive and neural plasticity in older adults. Br J Sports Med 43:22–24
Ferris LT, Williams JS, Shen CL (2007) The effect of acute exercise on serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels and cognitive function. Med Sci Sports Exerc 39:728–734
Goekint M, Heyman E, Roelands B, Njemini R, Bautmans I, Mets T, Meeusen R (2008) No influence of noradrenaline manipulation on acute exercise-induced increase of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Med Sci Sports Exerc 40:1990–1996
Gold SM, Schulz KH, Hartmann S, Mladek M, Lang UE, Hellweg R, Reer R, Braumann KM, Heesen C (2003) Basal serum levels and reactivity of nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor to standardized acute exercise in multiple sclerosis and controls. J Neuroimmunol 138:99–105
Hüger D, Zieschang T, Schwenk M, Oster P, Becker C, Hauer K (2009) Designing studies on the effectiveness of physical training in patients with cognitive impairment. Z Gerontol Geriatr 42:11–19
Knaepen K, Goekint M, Heyman E, Meeusen R (2010) Neuroplasticity: the effect of acute exercise and training on peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor—a systematic review of experimental studies in human subjects. Sports Med (accepted)
Krabbe KS, Nielsen AR, Krogh-Madsen R, Plomgaard P, Rasmussen P, Erikstrup C, Fischer CP, Lindegaard B, Petersen AM, Taudorf S, Secher NH, Pilegaard H, Bruunsgaard H, Pedersen BK (2007) Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and type 2 diabetes. Diabetologia 50:431–438
Kraemer W, Ratamess N (2005) Hormonal responses and adaptations to resistance exercise and training. Sports Med 35:339–361
Kraemer WJ, Hakkinen K, Newton RU, Nindl BC, Volek JS, McCormick M, Gotshalk LA, Gordon SE, Fleck SJ, Campbell WW, Putukian M, Evans WJ (1999) Effects of heavy-resistance training on hormonal response patterns in younger vs. older men. J Appl Physiol 87:982–992
Le Roith D, Bondy C, Yakar S, Liu JL, Butler A (2001) The somatomedin hypothesis: 2001. Endocr Rev 22:53–74
Levinger I, Goodman C, Matthews V, Hare D, Jerums G, Garnham A, Selig S (2008) BDNF, metabolic risk factors, and resistance training in middle-aged individuals. Med Sci Sports Exerc 40:535–541
Liu Y, Heinichen M, Wirth K, Schmidtbleicher D, Steinacker JM (2008) Response of growth and myogenic factors in human skeletal muscle to strength training. Br J Sports Med 42:989–993
Liu-Ambrose T, Donaldson M (2009) Exercise and cognition in older adults: is there a role for resistance training programmes? Br J Sports Med 43:25–27
Ma Q (2008) Beneficial effects of moderate voluntary physical exercise and its biological mechanisms on brain health. Neurosci Bull 24:265–270
Marx JO, Ratamess NA, Nindl BC, Gotshalk LA, Volek JS, Dohi K, Bush JA, Gomez AL, Mazzetti SA, Fleck SJ, Hakkinen K, Newton RU, Kraemer WJ (2001) Low-volume circuit versus high-volume periodized resistance training in women. Med Sci Sports Exerc 33:635–643
Masley S, Roetzheim R, Gualtieri T (2009) Aerobic exercise enhances cognitive flexibility. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 16:186–193
McCall GE, Byrnes WC, Fleck SJ, Dickinson A, Kraemer WJ (1999) Acute and chronic hormonal responses to resistance training designed to promote muscle hypertrophy. Can J Appl Physiol 24:96–107
Moritani T (1992) Time course of adaptations during strength and power training. In: Komi P (ed) Strength and power in sport. Blackwell, Oxford, pp 226–278
Neeper S, Gómez-Pinilla F, Choi J, Cotman C (1996) Physical activity increases mRNA for brain-derived neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor in rat brain. Brain Res 726:49–56
Oliff HS, Berchtold NC, Isackson P, Cotman CW (1998) Exercise-induced regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) transcripts in the rat hippocampus. Brain Res Mol Brain Res 61:147–153
Perrig-Chiello P, Perrig W, Ehrsam R, Staehelin H, Krings F (1998) The effects of resistance training on well-being and memory in elderly volunteers. Age Ageing 27:469–475
Pulford B, Ishii D (2001) Uptake of circulating insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) into cerebrospinal fluid appears to be independent of the IGF receptors as well as IGF-binding proteins. Endocrinology 142:213–220
Rasmussen P, Brassard P, Adser H, Pedersen MV, Leick L, Hart E, Secher NH, Pedersen BK, Pilegaard H (2009) Evidence for a release of BDNF from the brain during exercise. Exp Physiol 94:1062–1069
Reinhardt RR, Bondy CA (1994) Insulin-like growth factors cross the blood-brain barrier. Endocrinology 135:1753–1761
Rojas Vega S, Struder HK, Vera Wahrmann B, Schmidt A, Bloch W, Hollmann W (2006) Acute BDNF and cortisol response to low intensity exercise and following ramp incremental exercise to exhaustion in humans. Brain Res 1121:59–65
Rojas Vega S, Abel T, Lindschulten R, Hollmann W, Bloch W, Strüder H (2008) Impact of exercise on neuroplasticity-related proteins in spinal cord injured humans. Neuroscience 153:1064–1070
Sale D (1992) Neural adaptations to strength training. In: Komi P (ed) Strength and power in sport. Blackwell, Boston, pp 249–265
Schiffer T, Schulte S, Hollmann W, Bloch W, Strüder H (2009) Effects of strength and endurance training on brain-derived neurotrophic factor and insulin-like growth factor 1 in humans. Horm Metab Res 41:250–254
Schulz KH, Gold SM, Witte J, Bartsch K, Lang UE, Hellweg R, Reer R, Braumann KM, Heesen C (2004) Impact of aerobic training on immune-endocrine parameters, neurotrophic factors, quality of life and coordinative function in multiple sclerosis. J Neurol Sci 225:11–18
Seifert T, Brassard P, Wissenberg M, Rasmussen P, Nordby P, Stallknecht B, Adser H, Jakobsen A, Pilegaard H, Nielsen H, Secher N (2010) Endurance training enhances BDNF release from the human brain. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 298:R372–R377
Spiering B, Kraemer W, Anderson J, Armstrong L, Nindl B, Volek J, Judelson D, Joseph M, Vingren J, Hatfield D, Fragala M, Ho J, Maresh C (2008) Effects of elevated circulating hormones on resistance exercise-induced Akt signaling. Med Sci Sports Exerc 40:1039–1048
Stewart CE, Rotwein P (1996) Growth, differentiation, and survival: multiple physiological functions for insulin-like growth factors. Physiol Rev 76:1005–1026
Stroth S, Hille K, Spitzer M, Reinhardt R (2009) Aerobic endurance exercise benefits memory and affect in young adults. Neuropsychol Rehabil 19:223–243
Tang S, Chu E, Hui T, Helmeste D, Law C (2008) Influence of exercise on serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor concentrations in healthy human subjects. Neurosci Lett 431:62–65
Trejo JL, Carro E, Torres-Aleman I (2001) Circulating insulin-like growth factor I mediates exercise-induced increases in the number of new neurons in the adult hippocampus. J Neurosci 21:1628–1634
van Uffelen J, Chin A, Paw M, Hopman-Rock M, van Mechelen W (2008) The effects of exercise on cognition in older adults with and without cognitive decline: a systematic review. Clin J Sport Med 18:486–500
Vaynman S, Gomez-Pinilla F (2006) Revenge of the “sit”: how lifestyle impacts neuronal and cognitive health through molecular systems that interface energy metabolism with neuronal plasticity. J Neurosci Res 84:699–715
Wechsler D (1997) WAIS-III: Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—administration and scoring manual, 3rd edn. Psychological Corporation, San Antonio
Winter B, Breitenstein C, Mooren FC, Voelker K, Fobker M, Lechtermann A, Krueger K, Fromme A, Korsukewitz C, Floel A, Knecht S (2007) High impact running improves learning. Neurobiol Learn Mem 87:597–609
Zlomanczuk P, Milczarek B, Dmitruk K, Sikorski W, Adamczyk W, Zegarski T, Tafil-Klawe M, Chesy G, Klawe J, Rakowski A (2006) Improvement in the face/name association performance after three months of physical training in elderly women. J Physiol Pharmacol 57(Suppl 4):417–424
Zoladz J, Pilc A, Majerczak J, Grandys M, Zapart-Bukowska J, Duda K (2008) Endurance training increases plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor concentration in young healthy men. J Physiol Pharmacol 59(Suppl 7):119–132
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Katelijne Verbeiren, Luk Buyse, Frank Pauwels, Guy De Schutter, Bieke Hermans and Marloes Hanssen for all the help on the practical work. We gratefully acknowledge Prof. Carl Foster for his valuable comments on this work. This research was supported by the Research Council of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (OZR 1595). Researcher Maaike Goekint is supported as Aspirant by the Research Foundation (FWO)-Flanders.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Communicated by Susan Ward.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Goekint, M., De Pauw, K., Roelands, B. et al. Strength training does not influence serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Eur J Appl Physiol 110, 285–293 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-010-1461-3
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-010-1461-3