Comparative effect of single bout of continuous endurance and high intensity interval exercise on serum BDNF in rat

Continuous endurance exercise positively affects the brain via increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Therefore, in this study, comparative effect of single bout of continuous endurance exercise (CEE) and high intensity interval exercise (HIIE) on serum BDNF in rat was investigated.
In this experimental study rats (n=30) have randomly divided into three (CEE, HIIE and Control) groups. Following habituation to treadmill all groups (Except for Control) performed the single bout exercise of the target group. At the end of the exercise blood samples were taken. Data were analyzed using ANOVA.
The results showed that BDNF level in the CEE group was significantly higher than HIIE (P It seems that CEE is considered as an appropriate intervention in increasing BDNF and this factor is more affected by the duration than the intensity of exercise. Therefore, for achieving benefits of exercise on the central nervous system, performing prolonged activities are probably more useful.