It has been established that low intensities of exercise produce beneficial effects for the brain, while high intensities can cause some neuronal damage (e.g. exacerbated inflammatory response and cell death). Although these effects are documented in the mature brain, the influence of exercise intensities in the developing brain has been poorly explored. To investigate the impact of exercise intensity in developing rats, we evaluated the hippocampal level of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), inflammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL6 and IL10) and the occurrence of hippocampal cell degeneration and proliferation at different stages of postnatal brain development of rats submitted to two physical exercise intensities. To this point, male rats were divided into different age groups: P21, P31, P41 and P51. Each age group was submitted to two exercise intensities (low and high) on a treadmill over 10 consecutive days, except the control rats. We verified that the density of proliferating cells was significantly higher in the dentate gyrus of rats submitted to low-intensity exercise from P21 to P30 compared with high-intensity exercise and control rats. A significant increase of proliferative cell density was found in rats submitted to high-intensity exercise from P31 to P40 when compared to low-intensity exercise and control rats. Elevated hippocampal levels of IL6 were detected in rats submitted to high-intensity exercise from P21 to P30 compared to control rats. From P41 to P50 period, higher levels of BDNF, TNFα and IL10 were found in the hippocampal formation of rats submitted to high-intensity exercise in relation to their control rats. Our data show that exercise-induced neuroplastic effects on BDNF levels and cellular proliferation in the hippocampal region are dependent on exercise intensity and developmental period. Thus, exercise intensity is an inflammation-inducing factor and exercise-induced inflammatory response during the postnatal brain development is also related to developmental stage. Our findings indicate that neuroplastic changes induced by exercise in developing rats depend on both age and training intensity.

The beneficial effects of physical exercise on epilepsy, such as a decreased seizure frequency, have been observed following aerobic exercise programs in both clinical and experimental studies. However, it is not well clarified whether other types of exercise, including strength exercise, can provide similar benefits for epilepsy. Forty four animals with epilepsy were continuously monitored 24 h a day for 60 days and divided into two periods of 30 days. The first period was used to determine the number of seizures before beginning the physical exercise program, and the second period was utilized to determine the number of seizures during the strength training. The mean frequency of seizures in the control and SHAM groups increased significantly from period 1 to period 2. Although the frequency of seizures did not change significantly between the two periods of 30 days of observation in the strength exercise group, a significant reduction in the seizure frequency was observed compared with the control and SHAM groups in period 2. Our study demonstrated that a strength exercise program exerted a significant influence on the seizure frequency in animals with epilepsy and strengthens the observed beneficial effect of exercise on epilepsy that has been demonstrated in animal studies. The finding of this nonclinical study can open a new window to verify the beneficial contribution of strength exercise in epilepsy. Further experimental and clinical investigations are necessary to explore the extent to which strength exercise interferes with the epileptic condition.

The present study aimed to describe heart rate (HR) responses during a simulated Olympic boxing match and examine physiological parameters of boxing athletes. Ten highly trained Olympic boxing athletes (six men and four women) performed a maximal graded exercise test on a motorized treadmill to determine maximal oxygen uptake (52.2 mL · kg−1 · min−1 ± 7.2 mL · kg−1 · min−1) and ventilatory thresholds 1 and 2. Ventilatory thresholds 1 and 2 were used to classify the intensity of exercise based on respective HR during a boxing match. In addition, oxygen uptake (V̇O2) was estimated during the match based on the HR response and the HR-V̇O2 relationship obtained from a maximal graded exercise test for each participant. On a separate day, participants performed a boxing match lasting three rounds, 2 minutes each, with a 1-minute recovery period between each round, during which HR was measured. In this context, HR and V̇O2 were above ventilatory threshold 2 during 219.8 seconds ± 67.4 seconds. There was an increase in HR and V̇O2 as a function of round (round 3 < round 2 < round 1, P < 0.0001). These findings may direct individual training programs for boxing practitioners and other athletes.

Background Post-poliomyelitis syndrome is a clinical condition that can affect poliomyelitis survivors with the onset of new symptoms several years after the acute disease. These symptoms include new muscular weakness, fatigue, pain, onset or aggravation of muscle atrophy, muscle cramps, onset or aggravation of pre-existing difficulties in accomplishing daily life activities, cold intolerance, sleep disorders, dysphonia or dysphagia, and respiratory deficiency. The treatment of post-poliomyelitis syndrome requires a multiprofessional health team because the rehabilitation procedures include lifestyle changes, physiotherapy, avoidance of secondary complications, and physical exercise. As physical exercise is prescribed by physical education professionals, the assessment of knowledge about post-poliomyelitis syndrome among these professionals is very relevant. The aim of this study was to evaluate poliomyelitis and post-poliomyelitis syndrome knowledge among physical education professionals in Brazil. Methods We invited participants with an academic degree in physical education (n = 217) to participate in this study. A self-administered survey (30 questions) was designed to probe knowledge about poliomyelitis and post-poliomyelitis syndrome. From the survey, we created a questionnaire to evaluate the performance of the professionals. The questionnaire was composed of 20 questions and a score was provided, varying from 0 (totally uninformed) to 20 (well informed). Results Approximately 73% of surveyed participants had never heard of post-poliomyelitis syndrome, and only 19.4% had received information about the disease. Among those surveyed, 61.8% did not know whether restriction of physical activities was warranted for people with poliomyelitis sequelae, and only 32.3% knew that physical exercise (especially intense exercise) should be limited for patients with sequelae of paralytic poliomyelitis. Conclusion The findings of the present study indicate a critical need for improvement of knowledge about post-poliomyelitis syndrome among Brazilian physical education professionals.

The deleterious effects of paradoxical sleep deprivation (SD) on memory processes are well documented. Physical exercise improves many aspects of brain functions and induces neuroprotection. In the present study, we investigated the influence of 4 weeks of treadmill aerobic exercise on both long-term memory and the expression of synaptic proteins (GAP-43, synapsin I, synaptophysin, and PSD-95) in normal and sleep-deprived rats. Adult Wistar rats were subjected to 4 weeks of treadmill exercise training for 35 min, five times per week. Twenty-four hours after the last exercise session, the rats were sleep-deprived for 96 h using the modified multiple platform method. To assess memory after SD, all animals underwent training for the inhibitory avoidance task and were tested 24h later. The aerobic exercise attenuated the long-term memory deficit induced by 96 h of paradoxical SD. Western blot analysis of the hippocampus revealed increased levels of GAP-43 in exercised rats. However, the expression of synapsin I, synaptophysin, and PSD-95 was not modified by either exercise or SD. Our results suggest that an aerobic exercise program can attenuate the deleterious effects of SD on long-term memory and that this effect is not directly related to changes in the expression of the pre- and post-synaptic proteins analyzed in the study.