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Molecular Research on the Effects of Mimicking Exercise on Brain Health

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Neurobiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2024 | Viewed by 2081

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Anne S. Prigent-Tessier

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Inserm Unité Mixte de Recherche 1093-Cognition, Action & Plasticité Sensorimotrice, Unité de Formation et de Recherche Sciences de Santé, Université de Bourgogne, F-21000 Dijon, France
Interests: physical activity; cognition; endothelial dysfunction; muscle–brain crosstalk; BDNF; irisin
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Physical exercise (EX) is the most effective behavioral strategy for reducing the risks of stroke, depression and age-related cognitive decline. However, many people do not practice regular physical exercise for various reasons (motor disability, physical fragility, and medical contraindications), thereby encouraging research to find an alternative to EX for improving brain health. Electromyostimulation (EMS), the induction of muscle contraction beyond voluntary command, reproduces the effect of EX on muscles, and is used to prevent various muscle wasting associated diseases as well as to improve paralyzed people's motor function. However, the effect of EMS on the brain has not yet been extensively explored. Recently, some studies have shown that EMS increases cerebral brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, which is a neurotrophin capable of inducing neuroplasticity and neurogenesis and is recognized as a factor involved in inducing the cerebral benefits of EX on the brain. 

This Special Issue, ‘Molecular Research on the Effects of Mimicking Exercise on Brain Health’, aims to promote an understanding of the neuronal, cerebrovascular and humoral responses of EX mimetics, a new class of therapeutic modalities considered to have the ability of mimicking or enhancing the beneficial effects of EX by targeting EX-linking signaling. Thus, we invite submissions of original and review articles that discuss the recent advancements achieved in exploring the biological processes involved in the beneficial effects of EMS in order to develop new strategies of EX mimetics for the brain.

Dr. Anne S. Prigent-Tessier
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • exercise mimetics
  • electromyostimulation
  • BDNF
  • exerkine
  • hemodynamic pathway
  • physiology
  • molecular mechanisms
  • brain health

Published Papers (2 papers)

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16 pages, 3117 KiB  
Article
Early Movement Restriction Affects FNDC5/Irisin and BDNF Levels in Rat Muscle and Brain
by Orlane Dupuis, Julien Girardie, Mélanie Van Gaever, Philippe Garnier, Jacques-Olivier Coq, Marie-Hélène Canu and Erwan Dupont
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(7), 3918; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25073918 - 31 Mar 2024
Viewed by 591
Abstract
Interaction with the environment appears necessary for the maturation of sensorimotor and cognitive functions in early life. In rats, a model of sensorimotor restriction (SMR) from postnatal day 1 (P1) to P28 has shown that low and atypical sensorimotor activities induced the perturbation [...] Read more.
Interaction with the environment appears necessary for the maturation of sensorimotor and cognitive functions in early life. In rats, a model of sensorimotor restriction (SMR) from postnatal day 1 (P1) to P28 has shown that low and atypical sensorimotor activities induced the perturbation of motor behavior due to muscle weakness and the functional disorganization of the primary somatosensory and motor cortices. In the present study, our objective was to understand how SMR affects the muscle–brain dialogue. We focused on irisin, a myokine secreted by skeletal muscles in response to exercise. FNDC5/irisin expression was determined in hindlimb muscles and brain structures by Western blotting, and irisin expression in blood and cerebrospinal fluid was determined using an ELISA assay at P8, P15, P21 and P28. Since irisin is known to regulate its expression, Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) levels were also measured in the same brain structures. We demonstrated that SMR increases FNDC5/irisin levels specifically in the soleus muscle (from P21) and also affects this protein expression in several brain structures (as early as P15). The BDNF level was increased in the hippocampus at P8. To conclude, SMR affects FNDC5/irisin levels in a postural muscle and in several brain regions and has limited effects on BDNF expression in the brain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Research on the Effects of Mimicking Exercise on Brain Health)
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23 pages, 6273 KiB  
Article
Cerebral Benefits Induced by Electrical Muscle Stimulation: Evidence from a Human and Rat Study
by Rémi Chaney, Clémence Leger, Julien Wirtz, Estelle Fontanier, Alexandre Méloux, Aurore Quirié, Alain Martin, Anne Prigent-Tessier and Philippe Garnier
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(3), 1883; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25031883 - 04 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1226
Abstract
Physical exercise (EX) is well established for its positive impact on brain health. However, conventional EX may not be feasible for certain individuals. In this regard, this study explores electromyostimulation (EMS) as a potential alternative for enhancing cognitive function. Conducted on both human [...] Read more.
Physical exercise (EX) is well established for its positive impact on brain health. However, conventional EX may not be feasible for certain individuals. In this regard, this study explores electromyostimulation (EMS) as a potential alternative for enhancing cognitive function. Conducted on both human participants and rats, the study involved two sessions of EMS applied to the quadriceps with a duration of 30 min at one-week intervals. The human subjects experienced assessments of cognition and mood, while the rats underwent histological and biochemical analyses on the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and quadriceps. Our findings indicated that EMS enhanced executive functions and reduced anxiety in humans. In parallel, our results from the animal studies revealed an elevation in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), specifically in the hippocampus. Intriguingly, this increase was not associated with heightened neuronal activity or cerebral hemodynamics; instead, our data point towards a humoral interaction from muscle to brain. While no evidence of increased muscle and circulating BDNF or FNDC5/irisin pathways could be found, our data highlight lactate as a bridging signaling molecule of the muscle–brain crosstalk following EMS. In conclusion, our results suggest that EMS could be an effective alternative to conventional EX for enhancing both brain health and cognitive function. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Research on the Effects of Mimicking Exercise on Brain Health)
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