Basic Science and Pathogenesis

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Exercise Physiology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Exercise provides neuroprotection and cognitive benefits against Alzheimer's disease.
• These benefits are hypothesized to stem from brain-targeting exerkines.
• The multi-organ responsiveness of these exerkines is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the expression and responsiveness of brain-targeting exerkines across various organs following exercise.
• To determine if exercise alters brain-targeting exerkine levels in the brain.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the MoTrPact dataset, analyzing multi-omics data from rats undergoing treadmill training.
• Collected blood and 18 solid tissues, including brain regions (cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus).
• Examined protein and transcriptional expression of key brain-targeting exerkines.

Main Results:

• Exerkine responsiveness varied by tissue, with prosaposin showing the highest.
• Brain-targeting exerkine expression in the brain remained unchanged in both sexes throughout the 8-week training.
• Protein and transcriptional levels of studied exerkines were not significantly altered in the brain.

Conclusions:

• Brain-targeting exerkines did not change in the brain post-exercise, contrary to prior assumptions.
• This challenges the existence or function of a body-brain exerkine axis in exercise-induced neuroprotection.
• The role of these exerkines in mediating exercise's cognitive benefits warrants further investigation.