Abstract
Objectives
To investigate the effect of 2 standardized exercise programs, muscle strength exercises
(SE) and aerobic exercises (AE), on the plasma levels of brain-derived neurotrophic
factor (BDNF) and depressive symptoms in 451 elderly women.
Design
A randomized controlled trial.
Setting
Belo Horizonte/MG–Brazil.
Participants
Community-dwelling older women (N=451; age, 65–89y).
Intervention
The participants were divided into 2 groups: SE and AE. Both protocols lasted 10 weeks,
and 30 sessions (1-h sessions) in total were performed 3 times a week under the direct
supervision of physical therapists.
Main Outcome Measures
Plasma levels of BDNF (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and depressive symptoms
(Geriatric Depression Scale).
Results
There was a significant difference for BDNF plasma levels between the SE and AE groups
(P=.009). Post hoc analysis revealed a pre-post intervention difference in BDNF levels
only for the SE group (P=.008). A statistically significant difference was found for the pre- and postintervention
Geriatric Depression Scale scores in both groups (P=.001), showing that the effects of both exercise protocols were comparable regarding
depressive symptoms (P=.185).
Conclusions
The present findings have demonstrated the positive effect of muscle strengthening
and aerobic intervention on depressive symptoms in community-dwelling elderly women.
Interestingly, only SE significantly increased the plasma levels of BDNF in our sample.
The positive effects of physical exercise on depressive symptoms in the elderly were
not mediated by BDNF.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
AE (aerobic exercises), BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), GDS (Geriatric Depression Scale), RM (Repetition Maximum), SE (muscle exercises)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 22, 2013
Footnotes
Supported by the Brazilian funding agencies Fapemig and CNPq and a CAPES scholarship.
No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit on the authors or on any organization with which the authors are associated.
Identification
Copyright
© 2013 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
