Earticle

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether regular treadmill exercise after traumatic brain injury (TBI) positively affects the regener-ative environment in the motor cortex and hippocampus of the brain. Subjects were randomly divided into three groups: the normal control (Norm, n=8), the TBI+sedentary group (TBI+SED, n=8), and the TBI+ treadmill exercise group (TBI+Ex, n=8). Following a 2-week post-TBI recovery period, treadmill exercise was performed regularly for 4 weeks. The results showed that regular walking exercise after TBI increased the expression of growth associated protein-43 and tropomyosin recep-tor kinase-B, which are associated with neuronal survival, in both the motor cortex and hippocampus. The TBI+SED exhibited elevated glial fibrillary acidic protein and phosphorylated mammalian target of rapa-mycin signaling in both the motor cortex and hippocampus of the brain. In contrast, phosphorylated phosphatase and tensin homolog (p-PTEN) expression showed region-specific patterns: in the motor cortex, p-PTEN levels were higher in the TBI+SED than the Norm group and further increased following treadmill exercise, whereas in the hippocampus, p-PTEN expression decreased after TBI but was significantly elevated in the TBI+Ex group. These findings indicated that regular exercise after TBI might reduce glial scar formation and promote neural regeneration by elevating PTEN expression and inhibiting the mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathway.

Aging is accompanied by progressive impairments in mitochondrial bioenergetics, apoptosis regulation, and gut microbiota homeostasis, all of which contribute to cognitive decline. In this study, we investigat-ed whether the effects of treadmill exercise on the gut microbiota-mito-chondrion-neuronal plasticity axis differed between young (15 months) and old (28 months) mice. Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to the following groups: early sedentary, early exercise, late sedentary, or late exercise groups and completed an 8-week treadmill training protocol. Cognitive function was assessed using the passive avoidance test and the Morris water maze test. Hippocampal mitochondrial respi-ration, Ca²⁺ retention capacity, and Bax/Bcl-2 expression were quanti-fied, and the gut microbiota composition was analyzed using 16S ribo-somal RNA sequencing. Mice that did not exercise in old age exhibited memory impairment, decreased mitochondrial oxidative respiration, re-duced Ca²⁺ retention, increased Bax expression, decreased Bcl-2 lev-els, and decreased abundance of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Akkermansia. Exercise significantly improved behavioral performance, mitochondrial function, and apoptosis balance, while also increasing beneficial gut microbiota. Notably, these effects were significantly greater in late-aged compared to early-aged mice. These results demonstrate that the efficacy of exercise in modulating the microbio-ta-mitochondrion-brain axis varies with age. Early-aged appears to rep-resent a more responsive biological period during which exercise is more effective in improving mitochondrial integrity, microbiota compo-sition, and cognitive resilience. These results suggest that initiating ex-ercise early in the aging process may maximize neuroprotective effects and delay age-related functional decline.

The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of treadmill and swimming exercise on cell survival and reactive astrogliosis in the spi-nal cord and brain after spinal cord injury (SCI). Thirty-two male rats were randomly assigned to four groups: the normal group (Norm, n=8), the SCI+sedentary group (Seden, n=8), the SCI+treadmill exercise group (Tread, n=8), and the SCI+swimming exercise group (Swim, n=8). All rats in the SCI groups were allowed to recover for 2 weeks after injury, and then underwent 4 weeks of low-intensity treadmill and swimming exercise. In the spinal cord, both exercise interventions decreased the cavity formation around the injury, and significantly increased induction levels of growth associated protein-43, with greater improvements in the Tread group. In the motor cortex and hippocampus of the brain, the Tread group upregulated B-cell leukemia/lymphoma 2 and downregu-lated cleaved-caspase-3 and glial fibrillary acidic protein relative to the Seden group, indicating enhanced cell survival and reduced reactive astrogliosis in the injury site. Compared with swimming, treadmill exer-cise further improved tissue preservation and neural circuit-level re-covery across the spinal cord, motor cortex, and hippocampus after SCI. Thus, our findings suggested evidence that treadmill exercise might be one of the rehabilitation strategies to support the spinal cord and brain after SCI.

This study investigated the effects of 4-week and 8-week moderate-in-tensity aerobic exercise on body composition and markers of inflamma-tion and oxidative stress in middle-aged obese Hispanic females, with a particular focus on assessing these changes independently of fat mass reduction. A total of 35 participants were randomly assigned to either an exercise group or a control group for an eight-week intervention. The exercise group performed treadmill-based aerobic training at 55% of maximal oxygen consumption, with a fixed workload adjusted for body mass and a progression from three to four weekly sessions. Body composition was assessed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, and blood samples were collected at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks to analyze tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), C-reactive protein, adi-ponectin, total antioxidant status (TAS), and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG). After 8 weeks, the exercise group showed significant reduc-tions in body fat percentage, TNF-α, and 8-OHdG, alongside an increase in TAS. Notably, by week 4, significant decreases in TNF-α and increases in TAS were observed despite no measurable changes in body weight or fat mass, indicating an early anti-inflammatory and antioxidative re-sponse to exercise independent of adiposity reduction. The findings at 4 weeks suggest that moderate aerobic exercise can independently re-duce inflammation and oxidative stress, even before measurable fat loss occurs. These improvements were further enhanced by fat loss af-ter 8 weeks, indicating that moderate aerobic exercise may reduce the risk of obesity-related disorders in middle-aged obese females, both through direct anti-inflammatory effects and by promoting fat loss.

Aging is associated with a progressive decline in both cognitive and physical function, and neuroinflammation and metabolic dysregulation often exacerbate this decline, particularly in older women. This study investigated the effects of a 12-week intermittent combined exercise program on cognitive function, physical performance, and neurophysi-ological biomarkers in community-dwelling women aged 75 years and older. Forty participants were recruited from a local welfare center and randomly assigned to an exercise group (n=20) or a control group (n=20). The exercise group participated in three supervised sessions per week that integrated aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, func-tional exercise, and cognitive exercise. Cognitive domains (attention, language, and memory) were assessed using the Seoul Neuropsycho-logical Screening Test-II. Physical function was assessed using the Geriatric Physical Fitness Test (chair stand, arm flexion, grip strength, and 6-min walk). Blood samples were analyzed to measure serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), interleukin (IL-6), tumor ne-crosis factor (TNF)-α, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low- density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG). Paired and independent t-tests were performed to evaluate pre- and posttest differences (α=0.05). After 12 weeks, the exercise group significantly improved memory (P<0.05), lower upper-body muscle strength, grip strength, and walking endurance. Serum BDNF significantly increased (P<0.01), and IL-6, TNF-α, LDL-C, and TG decreased (P<0.05). HDL-C levels also significantly increased (P<0.05). Intermittent combined ex-ercise significantly improved cognitive and physical function and favor-ably modulated neurotrophic, inflammatory, and metabolic biomarkers in very elderly women.

This study examined the effects of kinesiology taping leggings on exer-cise performance and physiological responses during CrossFit training in women aged 20–30 years. A randomized crossover design was em-ployed with 42 healthy participants. Each participant completed two 3-week training periods wearing either taping leggings or regular leg-gings, separated by a 2-week washout period. Sixteen variables, in-cluding strength, endurance, power, agility, balance, proprioception, functional movement, heart-rate variability, exercise satisfaction, and lower-limb circumference, were measured. Significant improvements were observed in isokinetic strength (148.25±12.45 to 151.78±12.38 N·m), joint-position sense (2.18°±0.65° to 1.95°±0.62°), exercise satis-faction (6.85±1.42 to 7.34±1.28), and edema reduction (31.5% decrease). Most other fitness variables showed improvement trends but were not statistically significant. Taping leggings provided selective but meaning-ful benefits in enhancing proprioception, improving subjective satisfac-tion, and reducing edema during CrossFit training.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of kinetic chain-based forward punch plus (FPP) exercise on scapular muscle activation between individuals with scapular dyskinesis (SD) and healthy controls. A total of 30 male participants were recruited, including 15 with SD and 15 healthy individuals. Muscle activation of the upper trapezius (UT), lower trapezius (LT), serratus anterior (SA), and gluteus maximus, as well as activation ratios, were measured during FPP and FPP with con-tralateral leg flexion. The healthy group demonstrated decreased UT activation accompanied by increased LT and SA activation, resulting in significantly reduced UT/SA and UT/LT ratios. In contrast, the SD group showed significant increases in SA and LT; however, compensatory ac-tivation of the UT prevented improvement in muscle activation balance. These findings highlight the need for targeted neuromuscular strategies to address compensatory UT activation in individuals with SD during ki-netic chain-based movements.