RT journal article
T1 Changes in stress pathways as a possible mechanism of aerobic exercise training on brain health: a scoping review of existing studies
A1 Molina-Hidalgo, Cristina
A1 Stillman, Chelsea M.
A1 Collins, Audrey M.
A1 Velázquez-Díaz, Daniel
A1 Ripperger, Hayley S.
A1 Drake, Jermon A.
A1 Gianaros, Peter J.
A1 Marsland, Anna L.
A1 Erickson, Kirk I.
A2 Didáctica de la Educación FísicaPlástica y Musical
K1 ANS
K1 cortisol
K1 HPA axis
K1 physical activity
K1 salivary alpha-amylase
AB Physical activity (PA) in the form of aerobic exercise (AE) preserves and improves neurocognitive function across the lifespan. However, a mechanistic understanding of the pathways by which aerobic exercise impacts brain health is still lacking, particularly with respect to stress-related pathways. One mechanistic hypothesis is that AE improves neurocognitive health in part by modifying circulating levels of stress-related hormones and signaling factors associated with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and autonomic nervous system (ANS), as commonly measured by the biomarkers cortisol (CORT) and salivary α-amylase (sAA). Thus, this hypothesis predicts that changes in stress biomarkers, such as CORT and sAA, are possible explanatory pathways mediating the positive effects of AE on neurocognitive health. In the present review article, we provide a summary of available studies examining the possibility that exercise-induced changes to stress biomarkers could partly account for exercise-related improvements in neurocognitive health. Our review indicates that despite the intuitive appeal of this hypothesis, there is insufficient evidence available to conclude that chronic and habitual AE affects neurocognitive health by altering stress biomarker pathways. The cross-sectional nature of the majority of reviewed studies highlights the need for well-controlled studies to adequately test this hypothesis.
PB Frontiers Media SA
SN 1664-042X
YR 2023
FD 2023
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/32323
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/32323
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 11-nov-2026