The Effects of Exercise on BDNF Levels in Adolescents: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

Kesley Pablo Morais de Azevedo, Victor Hugo de Oliveira, Gidyenne Christine Bandeira Silva de Medeiros, Ádala Nayana de Sousa Mata, Daniel Ángel García, Daniel Guillén Martínez, José Carlos Leitão, Maria Irany Knackfuss and Grasiela Piuvezam
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Kesley Pablo Morais de Azevedo: Post-Graduate Program in Public Health, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, 59078-970 Natal, Brazil
Victor Hugo de Oliveira: Post-Graduate Program in Public Health, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, 59078-970 Natal, Brazil
Gidyenne Christine Bandeira Silva de Medeiros: Post-Graduate Program in Public Health, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, 59078-970 Natal, Brazil
Ádala Nayana de Sousa Mata: Post-Graduate Program in Public Health, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, 59078-970 Natal, Brazil
Daniel Ángel García: Department of Sociosanitary Sciences, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Daniel Guillén Martínez: Faculty of Nursing, Catholic University of Murcia (UCAM), 30107 Murcia, Spain
José Carlos Leitão: Center for Research in Sport, Health and Human Development, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Maria Irany Knackfuss: Post-Graduate Program in Health and Society, State University of Rio Grande do Norte (UERN), 59610-210 Mossoró, Brazil
Grasiela Piuvezam: Post-Graduate Program in Public Health, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, 59078-970 Natal, Brazil

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 17, 1-14

Abstract: The aim of this study was to analyze the evidence available in the literature about the effects of exercise on brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in adolescents. The literature searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, SportDiscus, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and CINAHL. Randomized controlled trials and non-randomized controlled trials performed with adolescents (10–19 years) who underwent different exercise programs and who evaluated BDNF levels before and after the intervention were included. We included six studies, four RCTs and two non-RCTs in the systematic review with a total of 407 adolescents. In two randomized trials and one non-RCT, the intervention groups showed significant improvements in BDNF levels compared with the control group. The results presented in the meta-analysis indicate that despite the positive effect in favor of the intervention, there were no significant differences (standardized mean difference 0.28 ng/mL, 95% confidence interval −0.28 to 0.85; p = 0.32, I² = 0%). The results presented in our review indicate that aerobic exercise programs practiced in moderate- or high-intensity are promising strategies to increase BDNF levels in adolescents. However, further studies are required to support this finding.

Keywords: exercise; brain-derived neurotrophic factor; BDNF; adolescent; systematic review; meta-analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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