Association of serum myokines and aerobic exercise training in patients with spinal cord injury: an observational study

BMC Neurology, 2016 · DOI: 10.1186/s12883-016-0661-9 · Published: August 2, 2016

Simple Explanation

This study investigates the impact of aerobic exercise on individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) by examining changes in exercise physiology and myokine levels. The research involved comparing SCI patients to healthy individuals and monitoring their responses to both a single exercise session and a 12-16 week training program. The findings suggest that while healthy individuals experience an immediate increase in IGF-1 after exercise, SCI patients show increased myostatin levels after consistent aerobic exercise training.

Study Duration

12–16 weeks

Participants

11 male patients with SCI and 16 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals

Evidence Level

Observational study

Key Findings

1
Acute exercise to exhaustion in CPET results in an immediate increase in serum IGF-1 in healthy individuals.
2
Aerobic exercise training results in increased serum myostatin in patients with SCI.
3
After aerobic exercise training, the 5 patients had a 48 ± 18 % increase in serum myostatin compared to the pre-training level.

Research Summary

The study aimed to evaluate the effects of aerobic exercise on patients with SCI by measuring changes in serum myokines and exercise physiology parameters. Results indicated that acute exercise led to an increase in serum IGF-1 in healthy individuals, while aerobic training increased serum myostatin levels in patients with SCI. The findings suggest a potential link between aerobic exercise, myokine levels, and muscle metabolism in individuals with SCI, warranting further investigation.

Practical Implications

Rehabilitation Strategies

The study suggests that aerobic exercise training could be incorporated into rehabilitation programs for SCI patients to potentially modulate myokine levels and influence muscle metabolism.

Cardiovascular Health

Understanding the effects of exercise on myokines in SCI patients may provide insights into managing cardiovascular health risks associated with SCI.

Further Research

The study highlights the need for further research to elucidate the interaction between serum myostatin and changes in aerobic metabolism or muscle growth after training in SCI patients.

Study Limitations

1
Some of the patients with SCI in this study did not attain AT VO2 during CPET due to early limb fatigue, and the true aerobic capacity may be underestimated.
2
The intensity of training (targeting an intensity of VO2 at AT) may also be inadequate for most of the patients because of early limb fatigue.
3
The limited case number due to difficulty in enrollment further lessens the discriminative power for the effect of exercise training.

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