The Effect of Eight Weeks of Periodic Endurance Training and Ginkgo Biloba Supplementation on Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor of Hippocampal Tissue in Alzheimer’s Experimental Model

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, which is a fatal neurological disorder. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of eight weeks of endurance training and Ginkgo biloba supplementation on the neurotrophic factor derived (BDNF) level from the hippocampus brain in the Alzheimer's experimental model.
This research was of laboratory type. 50 male Wistar rats weighing 250±20 grams were prepared and divided into seven groups including healthy control, Alzheimer's control, intermittent endurance exercise, Ginkgobiloba supplement, Ginkgobiloba supplement+exercise, shock Surgery, and placebo. To induce Alzheimer's disease in the patient groups, amyloid-beta solution was injected into both sides of the ventricles of the rats' brains. For eight weeks, the exercise groups ran on a treadmill 5 days a week, and the supplemented groups received Ginkgo biloba solution. 24 hours after the last exercise session, the hippocampus tissue was extracted and the BDNF protein level was measured using ELISA method.SPSS software version 22 was used to analyze the data at a significant level (P<0.05).
In the comparison between the groups, the level of BDNF factor was higher in the training+supplement group than in the healthy control, Alzheimer's control, surgical shock, and placebo groups, no increase was observed in the training and supplement alone groups, and the level of the factor was also decreased in the surgical shock and placebo groups.
Intermittent endurance exercise and Ginkgo Biloba supplement consumption at the same time can be an effective treatment to increase the level of BDNF to slow down the process of Alzheimer's disease.