Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 26, 2026
Scoring Central Nervous System Inflammation, Demyelination, and Axon Injury in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis
Published on: February 23, 2024
Basal serum levels and reactivity of nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor to standardized acute
Stefan M Gold1, Karl-Heinz Schulz, Sten Hartmann
1Department of Neurology, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany. gold@uke.uni-hamburg.de
Abstract:
Neurotrophins like brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) are thought to play an important role in neuronal repair and plasticity. Recent experimental evidence suggests neuroprotective effects of these proteins in multiple sclerosis (MS). We investigated the response of serum NGF and BDNF concentrations to standardized acute exercise in MS patients and controls. Basal NGF levels were significantly elevated in MS. Thirty minutes of moderate exercise significantly induced BDNF production in MS patients and controls, but no differential effects were seen. We conclude that moderate exercise can be used to induce neutrophin production in humans. This may mediate beneficial effects of physical exercise in MS reported recently.
