Comparison of Voluntary, Forced, and Water-Resistance Exercise on Hippocampal BDNF and NGF Expression in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer&#039;s Disease

baziyar, Younes; Jalali dehkordi, khosro; Moradi Kelardeh, Baharak; Taghian, Farzaneh; Hosseini, Seyed Ali

doi:10.18502/ehj.v11i2.20709

Volume 11, Issue 2 (December 2025) Elderly Health Journal 2025, 11(2): 160-168 | Back to browse issues page

‎ 10.18502/ehj.v11i2.20709

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baziyar Y, Jalali dehkordi K, Moradi Kelardeh B, Taghian F, Hosseini S A. Comparison of Voluntary, Forced, and Water-Resistance Exercise on Hippocampal BDNF and NGF Expression in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease. Elderly Health Journal 2025; 11 (2) :160-168
URL: http://ehj.ssu.ac.ir/article-1-361-en.html

Comparison of Voluntary, Forced, and Water-Resistance Exercise on Hippocampal BDNF and NGF Expression in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease

Younes Baziyar

, Khosro Jalali dehkordi ^*

, Baharak Moradi Kelardeh

, Farzaneh Taghian

, Seyed Ali Hosseini

Department of Sport Physiology, Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran , khosrojalali@iau.ac.ir

Abstract: (23 Views)

Introduction: Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that causes impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of eight weeks of voluntary, forced, and resistance training in water on the expression of BDNF and NGF genes in the hippocampus of mice in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.
Methods: Thirty male C57BL/6 mice weighing between 250-280 grams and aged over 15 months (elderly) were randomly divided into 5 groups: 1. Control, 2. Alzheimer’s disease (ALZ), 3. Voluntary training (ALZ+V-Ex), 4. Forced training (ALZ+F-Ex), and 5. Resistance training (ALZ+R-Ex). The training groups underwent their respective exercises for eight weeks, five days per week. The expression of BDNF and NGF genes was evaluated using Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test with a significance level of p < 0.05.
Results: Tukey’s post hoc test showed a significant decrease in BDNF and NGF gene expression in the ALZ group compared to the control group (p = 0.001). Significant increases in BDNF and NGF expression were observed in the ALZ+V-Ex (p = 0.001), ALZ+F-Ex (p = 0.001), and ALZ+R-Ex (p = 0.001) groups compared to the ALZ group. Among the exercise groups, BDNF and NGF expression was significantly higher in the ALZ+V-Ex group compared to ALZ+F-Ex (p = 0.001) and ALZ+R-Ex (p = 0.001), and expression was also significantly higher in ALZ+R-Ex compared to ALZ+F-Ex (p = 0.01(.
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that all three types of exercises—voluntary, forced, and water resistance training —significantly increased the expression of BDNF and NGF genes in mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Keywords: Voluntary Exercise, Forced Exercise, Water-Resistance Exercise, Alzheimer’s, BDNF, NGF

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Type of Study: Research | Subject: Special
Received: 2025/09/6 | Accepted: 2025/12/23 | Published: 2025/12/19

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