Acute response to physical exercise on cytokine and BDNF expression in people with bipolar disorder

• Grant number: 25/08521-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: May 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physical Education
• Principal Investigator: Lucas Melo Neves
• Grantee: João Vitor Melato
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 24/02369-6 - Effects of a physical exercise program on depression symptoms, inflammatory markers, and neurocognitive indicators in people with bipolar disorder: a randomized study, AP.R

Abstract

Cytokines can be produced, expressed and released by muscle fibers. In healthy individuals, acute exercise can induce anti-inflammatory effects, and the acute increase in IL-6 induced by exercise stimulates a systemic anti-inflammatory environment, with evidence that exercise has positive effects on cognitive function and brain health. The finding that muscle contraction is perceived by the brain suggests that peripheral factors induced by exercise may be involved in the direct interaction between working muscle and brain function. Exercise appears to benefit the brain of individuals with mental disorders, and evidence is beginning to emerge in relation to bipolar disorder. In this population, the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines has been confirmed (CRP, TNF-¿, IL-6), and the increased variability of specific inflammatory mediators in specific active states of the disease suggests that a subset of individuals with BD may present with elevated inflammation as part of a manic or depressive episode. Many doubts about the relationship between physical exercise and the response of different cytokines in bipolar disorder need to be clarified, and the objective of this study is to verify the acute response to physical exercise in the expression of cytokines (IL-1¿, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-¿, and CRP). Method: The study will be carried out in a subsample of 20 people with TB. Blood samples will be collected before and after 1 training session during the first training session of the Clinical Trial Exercise Program (Project to which we submitted the main proposal). The physical exercise intervention and analyses will be the same as those described in the submitted Main Proposal. (AU)