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  • Neural Mechanisms of Exercise: Anti-Depression, Neurogenesis, and Serotonin Signaling
    Publication . Yuan, Ti-Fei; Paes, Flávia; Arias-Carrión, Oscar; Rocha, Nuno; de Sá Filho, Alberto Souza; Machado, Sergio
    Depression is associated with decreased serotonin metabolism and functioning in the central nervous system, evidenced by both animal models of depression and clinical patient studies. Depression is also accompanied by decreased hippocampal neurogenesis in diverse animal models. Neurogenesis is mainly defined in dentate gyrus of hippocampus as well as subventricular zone. Moreover, hypothalamus, amygdala, olfactory tubercle, and piriform cortex are reported with evidences of adult neurogenesis. Physical exercise is found to modulate adult neurogenesis significantly, and results in mood improvement. The cellular mechanism such as adult neurogenesis upregulation was considered as one major mood regulator following exercise. The recent advances in molecular mechanisms underlying exercise-regulated neurogenesis have widen our understanding in brain plasticity in physiological and pathological conditions, and therefore better management of different psychiatric disorders.
  • Assessing the management of excessive daytime sleepiness by napping benefits
    Publication . Murillo-Rodríguez, Eric; Yamamoto, Tetsuya; Monteiro, Diogo; Budde, Henning; Rocha, Nuno; Cid, Luis; Teixeira, Diogo S.; Telles-Correia, Diogo; Veras, André Barciela; Machado, Sérgio; Imperatori, Claudio; Torterolo, Pablo
    Purpose Demanding lifestyle characterized by extended working hours, shift work schedules as well as excessive use of mobile gadgets leads to the disruption of the circadian and homeostatic factors affecting the sleep quality of individuals. As consequence, subjects complain of suffering several sleep disorders some of them characterized by inducing excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Currently, the therapeutic approaches for managing EDS include medication, promotion of sleep hygiene, cognitive and behavioral therapy or using of continuous positive airway pressure machine. In this review, we propose the posology of the personalized sleep medicine by the prescription of naps for treating EDS. Methods This review included the online search in PubMed and manual review of articles (basic and clinical trials) of a range of personalized medicine potentially associated to factors of dosage in areas such as nutrition, sports and sleep. Articles in English were identified and subsequently analyzed for consideration for this review. Results Current evidence has demonstrated that naps exert positive outcomes for individuals complaining with EDS. The dosage of naps might follow similar procedures as reported for personalized interventions in diets or exercise programs (by taking the right dose, at the proper time, with a recommended frequency) which have demonstrated successfully results. Conclusions The management of EDS may include the personalized sleep medicine considering the prescription of dosage of naps.
  • Wii-based exercise program to improve physical fitness, motor proficiency and functional mobility in adults with Down syndrome
    Publication . Silva, Vitor; Campos, C.; Sá, A.; Cavadas, M.; Pinto, J.; Simões, P.; Machado, S.; Murillo-Rodríguez, E.; Rocha, Nuno
    People with Down syndrome (DS) usually display reduced physical fitness (aerobic capacity, muscle strength and abnormal body composition), motor proficiency impairments (balance and postural control) and physical functional limitations. Exergames can be an appealing alternative to enhance exercise engagement and compliance, whilst improving physical fitness and motor function. This study aims to analyse the effects of a Wii-based exercise program on physical fitness, functional mobility and motor proficiency of adults with DS.
  • Effects of exercise on physical and mental health, and cognitive and brain functions in Schizophrenia: clinical and experimental evidence
    Publication . Rimes, Ridson Rosa; de Souza Moura, Antonio Marcos; Lamego, Murilo Khede; de Sa Filho, Alberto Souza; Manochio, Joao; Paes, Flavia; Carta, Mauro Giovanni; Mura, Gioia; Wegner, Mirko; Budde, Henning; Rocha, Nuno; Rocha, Joana; Tavares, Joao Manuel R S; Arias-Carrión, Oscar; Nardi, Antonio Egidio; Yuan, Ti-Fei; Machado, Sergio
    Exercise promotes several health benefits, such as cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and cardiorespiratory improvements. It is believed that the practice of exercise in individuals with psychiatric disorders, e.g. schizophrenia, can cause significant changes. Schizophrenic patients have problematic lifestyle habits compared with general population; this may cause a high mortality rate, mainly caused by cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate changes in physical and mental health, cognitive and brain functioning due to the practice of exercise in patients with schizophrenia. Although still little is known about the benefits of exercise on mental health, cognitive and brain functioning of schizophrenic patients, exercise training has been shown to be a beneficial intervention in the control and reduction of disease severity. Type of training, form of execution, duration and intensity need to be better studied as the effects on physical and mental health, cognition and brain activity depend exclusively of interconnected factors, such as the combination of exercise and medication. However, one should understand that exercise is not only an effective nondrug alternative, but also acts as a supporting linking up interventions to promote improvements in process performance optimization. In general, the positive effects on mental health, cognition and brain activity as a result of an exercise program are quite evident. Few studies have been published correlating effects of exercise in patients with schizophrenia, but there is increasing evidence that positive and negative symptoms can be improved. Therefore, it is important that further studies be undertaken to expand the knowledge of physical exercise on mental health in people with schizophrenia, as well as its dose-response and the most effective type of exercise.
  • Exercise induced neuroplasticity to enhance therapeutic outcomes of cognitive remediation in schizophrenia: Analyzing the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor
    Publication . Campos, C.; Rocha, Nuno; Lattari, Eduardo; Nardi, António E.; Machado, Sérgio
    Cognitive impairment is a major manifestation of schizophrenia and a crucial treatment target as these deficits are closely related to patients' functional outcomes. Cognitive remediation is the gold-standard practice to address cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. There is clear evidence stating that cognitive remediation improves cognitive function and promotes structural neuroplastic changes in patients with schizophrenia, with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression emerging as a potential biomarker for its efficacy. This is particularly important as there is clear evidence relating atypical BDNF expression to cognitive impairment in patients with schizophrenia. Despite the valuable role of cognitive remediation in the management of schizophrenia, there is still a need to develop methods that allow maximizing its efficacy.
  • Exercise-induced neuroprotective effects on neurodegenerative diseases: the key role of trophic factors
    Publication . Campos, Carlos; Rocha, Nuno; Lattari, Eduardo; Paes, Flávia; Nardi, António E.; Machado, Sérgio
    Age-related neurodegenerative disorders, like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, are becoming a major issue to public health care. Currently, there is no effective pharmacological treatment to address cognitive impairment in these patients. Here, we aim to explore the role of exercise-induced trophic factor enhancement in the prevention or delay of cognitive decline in patients with neurodegenerative diseases.