Gymnastik- och idrottshögskolan, GIH

Background

Sarcopenia is thought to be underlined by age-associated anabolic resistance and dysregulation of intracellular signalling pathways. However, it is unclear whether these phenomena are driven by ageing per se or other confounding factors.

Methods

Lean and healthy young (n = 10, 22 ± 3 years, BMI; 23.4 ± 0.8 kg/m2) and old men (n = 10, 70 ± 3 years, BMI; 22.7 ± 1.3 kg/m2) performed unilateral resistance exercise followed by intake of essential amino acids (EAA). Muscle biopsies were collected from the rested and the exercised leg before, immediately after and 60 and 180 min after EAA intake. Muscle samples were analysed for amino acid concentrations, muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and associated anabolic signalling.

Results

Following exercise, peak plasma levels of EAA and leucine were similar between groups, but the area under the curve was ~11% and ~28% lower in Young (p < 0.01). Absolute levels of muscle EAA and leucine peaked 60 min after exercise, with ~15 and ~21% higher concentrations in the exercising leg (p < 0.01) but with no difference between groups. MPS increased in both the resting (~0.035%·h−1 to 0.056%·h−1, p < 0.05) and exercising leg (~0.035%·h−1 to 0.083%·h−1, p < 0.05) with no difference between groups. Phosphorylation of S6K1Thr389 increased to a similar extent in the exercising leg in both groups but was 2.8-fold higher in the resting leg of Old at the 60 min timepoint (p < 0.001). Phosphorylation of 4E-BP1Ser65 increased following EAA intake and exercise, but differences between legs were statistically different only at 180 min (p < 0.001). However, phosphorylation of this site was on average 78% greater across all timepoints in Old (p < 0.01). Phosphorylation of eEF2Thr56 was reduced (~66% and 39%) in the exercising leg at both timepoints after EAA intake and exercise, with no group differences (p < 0.05). However, phosphorylation at this site was reduced by ~27% also in the resting leg at 60 min, an effect that was only seen in Old (p < 0.01). Total levels of Rheb (~45%), LAT1 (~31%) and Rag B (~31%) were higher in Old (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Lean and healthy old men do not manifest AR as evidenced by potent increases in MPS and mTORC1 signalling following EAA intake and exercise. Maintained anabolic sensitivity with age appears to be a function of a compensatory increase in basal levels of proteins involved in anabolic signalling. Therefore, our results suggest that age per se does not appear to cause AR in human skeletal muscle.

De positiva effekterna av fysisk aktivitet på hälsa, välbefinnande och kognitiva funktioner är väl belagda i en rad publikationer och kunskapssammanställningar. Regelbunden daglig fysisk aktivitet kan främja psykisk hälsa och välbefinnande hos barn och ungdomar i alla skolåldrar.

Introduction: Information on the long-term maintenance of short-term exercise fitness gains measured by field-based tests is scarce in older adults. This study aimed to investigate short- and long-term changes in various physical fitness parameters after an 8-week exercise program.

Methods: In this longitudinal study, a total of 265 participants (62% women; mean age 71.4 ± 4.7 years) completed a field-based test battery of 12 fitness tests (22 parameters) at 2 pre-tests and 1 post-test following an 8-week exercise program (2 sessions/week, combining aerobic and strength activities) in 2 consecutive years. The tests assessed muscle endurance, muscle strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, and motor fitness.

Results: Significant short-term improvements were observed, e.g., in isometric trunk flexion and extension endurance (21–37%) for both sexes in both years. Lower-body muscular endurance improved in the first year (9–12%) for both sexes, while cardiorespiratory fitness (6-min walk test) improved only for men in both years (3%). No changes were seen in submaximal cycle test heart rates or any balance tests in any year. Most fitness parameters did not significantly decrease during the 9-month inter-intervention period, with a few exceptions in trunk strength and walking distance.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates physical fitness improvements in older adults following short-term exercise interventions and that some of these improvements were maintained long term, whereas a few of these physical fitness test improvements decreased significantly over 9 months in older adults.

Flera internationella studier visar en nedgång i skolelevers motoriska kompetens. I Sverige saknas studier som dokumenterat förändringar i barns motoriska kompetens över tid.

Syfte: Att belysa lärares bedömningar av hur barns motoriska färdigheter förändrats de senaste 10–20 åren.

Metod: Sveriges lärare i idrott och hälsa, som undervisat i förskoleklass och/eller årskurs 1–6 under minst 10 år, inbjöds att i en enkätstudie skatta förändringar i barns motoriska förmåga. Som mätinstrument valdes elva motoriska färdigheter och en öppen fråga, vilka sammanställdes till MUGIH motorikskattning (MI-M11). Av 59 intresseanmälningar besvarade 46 lärare enkätformuläret.

Resultat: Såväl kvalitativa som kvantitativa data visar en betydande nedgång i motorisk kompetens under de senaste 10–20 åren i samtliga elva av lärare skattade färdigheter. En stor förändring till det sämre märks i både förskoleklass–årskurs 3 och årskurs 4–6. Resultaten tyder på att gruppen barn med låg motorisk kompetens har ökat från 15 till drygt 30 procent bland yngre barn (förskoleklass–årskurs 3) under de senaste 15–20 åren. I årskurs 4–6 märks en ökning från 10 till 23 procent under samma period.

Slutsats: De försämringar i motoriska färdigheter som redovisats är alarmerande eftersom motorisk kompetens har stor betydelse för barns deltagande i rörelselek och idrott samt för en livslång hälsosam livsstil. Observationer vid skolstarten kan vara en värdefull strategi för tidig upptäckt av elever i behov av extra motorikstöd. Ökad schemalagd idrottsundervisning, strukturerade motorikobservationer och anpassat motorikstöd skulle kunna bromsa den negativa trenden och eventuellt återställa de sänkta motoriknivåerna bland barn.

Executive functions (EF) decline with age and this decline in older adults with generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) may be influenced by heart rate variability (HRV), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and physical fitness. Understanding these relationships is important for tailored treatments in this population. In this study, 51 adults with GAD (M age = 66.46, SD = 4.08) and 51 healthy controls (M age = 67.67, SD = 4.04) were assessed on cognitive inhibition (Stroop task), shifting (Trails part 4), flexibility (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test - Perseverative errors), working memory (Digit Span Backwards), IQ (Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence), high frequency HRV, serum mature BDNF levels, and VO₂ max. Results indicated that participants with GAD exhibited better cognitive inhibition compared to controls, with no general reduction in EF. Cognitive inhibition was predicted by gender, HRV, and BDNF levels, while cognitive shifting was predicted by gender and IQ, and cognitive flexibility and working memory by IQ. The enhanced cognitive inhibition in GAD participants might stem from maladaptive use of this function, characteristic of GAD, or protection from EF decline due to normal HRV. Increased BDNF levels, possibly due to good fitness, or compensatory mechanisms related to the disorder, might also play a role. These findings highlight the complexity of EF and related mechanisms in GAD, highlighting the need for interventions that consider both cognitive and physiological factors for optimal outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: Physical fitness is strongly associated with daily physical function, health, and longevity in older adults. Field-based tests may provide a reasonable alternative compared to advanced laboratory testing. Separating postexercise test scores from reactivity measurements requires sufficient test-retest reliability. Postexercise test scores with reliability analyses of field-based fitness tests in older adults are lacking. The present study aimed to examine the test-retest reliability of some novel easily accommodated fitness test measurements and compare pretest scores with postexercise results in these tests along with other field-based fitness tests in older adults.

METHODS: Totally 1,407 community-dwelling older adults (69% female), x̄ = 71.5 ± 5.0 (65-84 years), performed twelve field-based fitness tests at pretest 1, pretest 2 and a posttest after an 8-week exercise period (twice weekly 1 h of combined strength and aerobic training). T tests, intra-class correlation, limits of agreement, standard error of measurement, and coefficient of variance were performed between pre-1 and pre-2 tests, and repeated measures ANOVA and partial eta squared effect size for postexercise differences for men and women in 5-year age groups ranging from 65 to 84 years.

RESULTS: Between pre-1 and pre-2 tests a significant difference was noted in some of the novel fitness test measurements but generally not, e.g., in isometric trunk flexion and step-up height on either leg among all sex and age groups. In most of these novel fitness test measurements, no significant differences occurred between the two pretests. Examples of results from the pre-2 test to the posttest were isometric trunk flexion 45° endurance and isometric trunk extension endurance improved significantly for both sexes in age groups 65-74 years. Women, but not men, improved the maximal step-up height for both legs in most age groups. The speed in the 50 sit-to-stand improved significantly for most age groups in both sexes. Six-min walk distance improved significantly for most age groups in women but among men only in 65-69 years. In the timed-up-and-go test, significant improvements were seen for all age groups in women and in men 70-79 years. No postexercise improvements were generally observed for grip strength or balance.

CONCLUSIONS: In most of the novel fitness test measures, no significant difference was noted between the two pretests in the assessed sex and age groups. Results after the 8-week exercise period varied between sex and age groups, with significant improvements in several of the twelve studied fitness tests. These findings may be valuable for future projects utilizing easily accommodated physical fitness tests in older adults.

Bakgrund

En stor majoritet av svenska barn når inte upp till den rekommenderade dagliga nivån av fysisk aktivitet. Vissa, men inte alla, studier visar att extra fysisk aktivitet kan ha positiva effekter på barns skolprestationer, fysiska kapacitet och hälsa.

Syfte

Syftet var att erbjuda elever från årskurs 7 till 8 extra aerob pulshöjande träning, ledd av idrottslärare, och att utvärdera effekterna på kondition, muskelstyrka, skolbetyg och hälsa. Hypotesen var att extra aerob träning skulle förbättra fysisk kapacitet, skolbetyg och hälsa.

Metod

I det tvååriga projektet utgjordes 122 slumpmässigt utvalda elever i åldrarna 13-14 år från tre skolor en aerob grupp med 30 minuters extra träningspass (≥70 % maxpuls) två gånger i veckan. En slumpmässigt utvald kontrollgrupp på 26 elever som ingick. Alla 148 elever hade dessutom ordinarie idrottsundervisning.

Resultat

En måttlig till stor signifikant effektstorlek (via partiell eta-squared) av interaktionseffekten för aeroba gruppen jämfört med kontrollgruppen över tid sågs generellt för aerob fysisk kapacitet, muskelstyrketestet med armhävningar, skolbetyg i svenska, engelska samt idrott & hälsa, och i medelbetygsvärde för fyra skolämnen sammantagna, inkluderande även matematik. Inom den aeroba gruppen visades också signifikanta förbättringar över tid för kondition, uthållighetsstyrka i mag- och benmuskler och ett sammanfattat fysiskt index för fysisk kapacitet under det tvååriga projektet. Kontrollgruppen visade ingen motsvarande förbättring av dessa parametrar.

Förbättringarna i den aeroba gruppen sågs generellt bland båda könen vad gäller skolbetygen, medan förbättringar i fysisk kapacitet var klart mer uttalade bland pojkar och sällan bland flickor. Ett liknande mönster med betydande förbättringar i flera skolbetyg noterades i alla tre inblandade interventionsskolor, trots att en av skolorna hade en klart större andel barn som invandrat till Sverige och med generellt lägre socioekonomi.

Aeroba gruppen visade signifikant högre självskattning (med liten till måttlig effektstorlek) på flera frågor om fysisk självuppfattning än kontrollgruppen i slutet av 8:e klass.

Konklusion

Denna lärarledda skolintervention genererade ett hållbart projekt med flera förbättringar i fysisk kapacitet och skolbetyg. Projektet kan fungera som en inspiration för andra skolor att öka fysisk aktivitet för att förbättra fysisk kapacitet och eventuellt även skolbetyg.

BACKGROUND: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression, which can be measured in blood serum, has been found to increase with aerobic exercise. The link between BDNF level, physical exercise, and genetic status (Val66Met polymorphism) has not been well researched in older adults.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible link between BDNF expression, acute aerobic exercise, and the Val66Met polymorphism in older adults.

METHOD: Twenty-three healthy older adults participated in one session of acute aerobic exercise. Their serum BDNF levels were measured both at baseline and post exercise. Saliva samples were collected to identify each individual's genetic status.

RESULTS: At baseline, the individuals' mean serum BDNF level was 16.03 ng/mL (Val66Val = 15.89 ng/mL; Val66Met = 16.34 ng/mL); post exercise, the individuals' mean serum BDNF level was 16.81 ng/mL (Val66Val = 16.14 ng/mL; Val66Met = 18.34 ng/mL).

CONCLUSION: One session of acute aerobic exercise significantly increased the individuals' mean serum BDNF level. Males had higher BDNF levels than females. There was a significant interaction between gender and BDNF expression post exercise and a significant between-group effect of gender. The Val66Met carriers had a more positive response to the acute aerobic exercise compared with the Val66Val carriers, although without a significant difference between the two groups.

BACKGROUND: Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is a frequent and severe disorder among older adults. For older adults with GAD the effect of the recommended treatment, cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), is reduced. Physical exercise (PE) may enhance the effect of CBT by improving cognitive function and increasing levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a predictor of the effect of CBT in patients with anxiety. The aim of the study was to assess the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) investigating treatment effect of the combination of CBT and PE for GAD in a sample of older adults, including procedures for assessment and treatment.

METHODS: Four participants aged 62-70 years (M = 65.5, SD = 3.2) with a primary diagnosis of GAD were included. Participants received 15 weeks of PE in combination with 10 weeks of CBT. Participants completed self-report measures, and clinical, biological, physiological and neuropsychological tests at pre-, interim- and post-treatment.

RESULTS: Procedures, protocols, and results are presented. One participant dropped out during treatment. For the three participants completing, the total adherence to PE and CBT was 80% and 100%, respectively. An independent assessor concluded that the completers no longer fulfilled the criteria for GAD after treatment. Changes in self-report measures suggest symptom reduction related to anxiety and worry. The sample is considered representative for the target population.

CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that combining CBT and PE for older adults with GAD is feasible, and that the procedures and tests are suitable and manageable for the current sample.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02690441. Registered on 24 February 2016, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02690441 .