PMID- 28818262 OWN - NLM STAT- MEDLINE DCOM- 20180521 LR - 20220408 IS - 1532-2777 (Electronic) IS - 0306-9877 (Linking) VI - 106 DP - 2017 Sep TI - Brain-derived neurotrophic factor mediates cognitive improvements following acute exercise. PG - 1-5 LID - S0306-9877(17)30244-X [pii] LID - 10.1016/j.mehy.2017.06.024 [doi] AB - The mechanisms causing improved cognition following acute exercise are poorly understood. This article proposes that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is the main factor contributing to improved cognition following exercise. Additionally, it argues that cerebral blood flow (CBF) and oxidative stress explain the release of BDNF from cerebral endothelial cells. One way to test these hypotheses is to block endothelial function and measure the effect on BDNF levels and cognitive performance. The CBF and oxidative stress can also be examined in relationship to BDNF using a multiple linear regression. If these hypotheses are true, there would be a linear relationship between CBF+oxidative stress and BDNF levels as well as between BDNF levels and cognitive performance. The novelty of these hypotheses comes from the emphasis on the cerebral endothelium and the interplay between BDNF, CBF, and oxidative stress. If found to be valid, these hypotheses would draw attention to the cerebral endothelium and provide direction for future research regarding methods to optimize BDNF release and enhance cognition. Elucidating these mechanisms would provide direction for expediting recovery in clinical populations, such as stroke, and maintaining quality of life in the elderly. CI - Copyright (c) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. FAU - Borror, Andrew AU - Borror A AD - Department of Exercise and Sports Science, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States. Electronic address: aborror@live.unc.edu. LA - eng PT - Journal Article DEP - 20170629 PL - United States TA - Med Hypotheses JT - Medical hypotheses JID - 7505668 RN - 0 (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) RN - 0 (Nootropic Agents) RN - 7171WSG8A2 (BDNF protein, human) RN - V55S2QJN2X (NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester) SB - IM MH - Adult MH - Brain/blood supply/drug effects/physiology MH - Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/blood/*physiology MH - Cerebrovascular Circulation MH - Cognition/drug effects/*physiology MH - Endothelial Cells/drug effects/physiology MH - Exercise/*physiology/*psychology MH - Humans MH - Linear Models MH - Models, Neurological MH - Models, Psychological MH - NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester/pharmacology MH - Nootropic Agents/blood MH - Oxidative Stress OTO - NOTNLM OT - Brain-derived neurotrophic factor OT - Cerebral blood flow OT - Cerebral endothelium OT - Cognition OT - Executive function OT - Oxidative stress EDAT- 2017/08/19 06:00 MHDA- 2018/05/22 06:00 CRDT- 2017/08/19 06:00 PHST- 2017/03/10 00:00 [received] PHST- 2017/06/09 00:00 [revised] PHST- 2017/06/28 00:00 [accepted] PHST- 2017/08/19 06:00 [entrez] PHST- 2017/08/19 06:00 [pubmed] PHST- 2018/05/22 06:00 [medline] AID - S0306-9877(17)30244-X [pii] AID - 10.1016/j.mehy.2017.06.024 [doi] PST - ppublish SO - Med Hypotheses. 2017 Sep;106:1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2017.06.024. Epub 2017 Jun 29.