Molecular Markers of Neuroplasticity During Exercise in People With Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury

Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether exercising (walking) at different intensities increases levels of factors in the blood and saliva that are known to impact neuroplasticity (how the connections in the spinal cord and brain can change) and if these levels are changed by pairing exercise with a single dose of commonly used prescription drugs or by your mood.

Timeline

Start

2011-12

Primary completion

2015-05

Completion

2015-05

Publications

• Background Ying Z, Roy RR, Zhong H, Zdunowski S, Edgerton VR, Gomez-Pinilla F. BDNF-exercise interactions in the recovery of symmetrical stepping after a cervical hemisection in rats. Neuroscience. 2008 Sep 9;155(4):1070-8. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2008.06.057. Epub 2008 Jul 3.
• Background Ying Z, Roy RR, Edgerton VR, Gomez-Pinilla F. Exercise restores levels of neurotrophins and synaptic plasticity following spinal cord injury. Exp Neurol. 2005 Jun;193(2):411-9. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2005.01.015.
• Background Knaepen K, Goekint M, Heyman EM, Meeusen R. Neuroplasticity - exercise-induced response of peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor: a systematic review of experimental studies in human subjects. Sports Med. 2010 Sep 1;40(9):765-801. doi: 10.2165/11534530-000000000-00000.
• Background Ferris LT, Williams JS, Shen CL. The effect of acute exercise on serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels and cognitive function. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007 Apr;39(4):728-34. doi: 10.1249/mss.0b013e31802f04c7.
• Background Cotman CW, Berchtold NC. Exercise: a behavioral intervention to enhance brain health and plasticity. Trends Neurosci. 2002 Jun;25(6):295-301. doi: 10.1016/s0166-2236(02)02143-4.
• Background Neeper SA, Gomez-Pinilla F, Choi J, Cotman CW. Physical activity increases mRNA for brain-derived neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor in rat brain. Brain Res. 1996 Jul 8;726(1-2):49-56.
• Background Ivy AS, Rodriguez FG, Garcia C, Chen MJ, Russo-Neustadt AA. Noradrenergic and serotonergic blockade inhibits BDNF mRNA activation following exercise and antidepressant. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2003 Apr;75(1):81-8. doi: 10.1016/s0091-3057(03)00044-3.
• Background Nibuya M, Morinobu S, Duman RS. Regulation of BDNF and trkB mRNA in rat brain by chronic electroconvulsive seizure and antidepressant drug treatments. J Neurosci. 1995 Nov;15(11):7539-47. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.15-11-07539.1995.
• Background Russo-Neustadt AA, Beard RC, Huang YM, Cotman CW. Physical activity and antidepressant treatment potentiate the expression of specific brain-derived neurotrophic factor transcripts in the rat hippocampus. Neuroscience. 2000;101(2):305-12. doi: 10.1016/s0306-4522(00)00349-3.
• Background Russo-Neustadt A, Beard RC, Cotman CW. Exercise, antidepressant medications, and enhanced brain derived neurotrophic factor expression. Neuropsychopharmacology. 1999 Nov;21(5):679-82. doi: 10.1016/S0893-133X(99)00059-7.
• Background Garcia C, Chen MJ, Garza AA, Cotman CW, Russo-Neustadt A. The influence of specific noradrenergic and serotonergic lesions on the expression of hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor transcripts following voluntary physical activity. Neuroscience. 2003;119(3):721-32. doi: 10.1016/s0306-4522(03)00192-1.
• Background Pearson-Fuhrhop KM, Cramer SC. Genetic influences on neural plasticity. PM R. 2010 Dec;2(12 Suppl 2):S227-40. doi: 10.1016/j.pmrj.2010.09.011.
• Background Cheeran B, Talelli P, Mori F, Koch G, Suppa A, Edwards M, Houlden H, Bhatia K, Greenwood R, Rothwell JC. A common polymorphism in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene (BDNF) modulates human cortical plasticity and the response to rTMS. J Physiol. 2008 Dec 1;586(23):5717-25. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2008.159905. Epub 2008 Oct 9.
• Background Bryan A, Hutchison KE, Seals DR, Allen DL. A transdisciplinary model integrating genetic, physiological, and psychological correlates of voluntary exercise. Health Psychol. 2007 Jan;26(1):30-9. doi: 10.1037/0278-6133.26.1.30.
• Background Mata J, Thompson RJ, Gotlib IH. BDNF genotype moderates the relation between physical activity and depressive symptoms. Health Psychol. 2010 Mar;29(2):130-3. doi: 10.1037/a0017261.

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