Comparing the effect of high intensity interval training and continuous training on BDNF, GDNF and NGF in hippocampus of C57BL/6 male mice

Introduction: Identifying the factors that influence on the uptake of Neurotrophins is an important goal for brain's health and function. There is some evidence that long-term exercise improves brain function. However, the effects of exercise intensities on the brain remain is unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the effects of high intensity interval (HIIT) and continuous training (CT) on neurotrophic factors gene expression in hippocampus of C57BL/6 mice. Methods: 30 C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to the following three groups: control (Con), interval training (IT), and continuous training (CT). The mice in the exercise group Were trained to run on the treadmill 5 sessions for 8 weeks. HIIT group performed protocol at 85-90% of maximal work rate for periods of 2 min alternating with 1 min intervals at 50-60% of maximal work rate. CT group performed a continuous exercise protocol at 70-75% of maximal work rate. The expression of BDNF, GDNF, and NGF genes was measured using the Real Time-PCR method in the hippocampus. For statistical analysis of the data was used from SPSS version 16 and the one-way ANOVA method. Results: The result showed that HIIT program significantly increased the mRNA levels of BDNF and GDNF in comparison with CT (p<0.05), and mRNA level of NGF significantly increased in both groups while no significant differences were observed in NGF concentrations among the HIIT and CT groups (p>0.05). Conclusion: Our results showed that HIIT had a more neuroprotective effect by improving the expression of the neurotrophin genes compared to the LICT in the hippocampus.