No change in brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels following a single session of light to-moderate intensity walk in chronic stroke patients

• Autor(a) principal: Mariana Lacerda e Silva
• Data de Publicação: 2017
• Outros Autores: Viviane Aparecida Carvalho de Morais, Renata Maria Silva Santos, Natalia Pessoa Rocha, Paulo Pereira Christo, Luci Teixeira Fuscaldi, Aline Alvim Scianni, Antonio Lucio Teixeira Junior, Paula Luciana Scalzo
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UFMG
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/1843/78222
• topic: Acidente Vascular Cerebral; Fator Neurotrófico Derivado do Encéfalo; Exercício Físico; Pacientes

Background: Many studies show the beneficial effects of overground gait training in stroke patients. However, it is not know whether it is able to induce changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, which could positively influence neurophysiological mechanisms. Objective: To evaluate the effect of a single session of light-to-moderate intensity walk on BDNF serum levels and its precursors (proBDNF) in chronic ischemic stroke patients. Methods: Patients were asked to walk for 30 minutes in the target heart rate training zone (30-60% of maximal heart rate). Blood samples were collected immediately before and after a single session. Results: Fifteen individuals with 60.8 (7.7) years old participated of this study. There was no significant difference in proBDNF (p=0.573) and BDNF (p=0.563) serum levels between pre- and post-session. Conclusion: This study used light-to-moderate intensity because the goal is to approach the gait training in clinical setting. The lack of increase in BDNF levels can be explained by two reasons: the intensity zone of the heart rate selected during the session and not having a gradual increase in this intensity.