Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40965604›Full record

Trial reportEuropean journal of applied physiology2026

Eight-week Flexi-bar vibration exercise enhances cognitive function via altering the circulating levels of BDNF, TNF-α, and microRNAs in middle-aged and elderly women.

Jiarui Wu, Dongdong Gao, Lu Leng, Younian Mai, Chen Huang, Min Hu, Junhao Huang

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in European journal of applied physiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Jiarui Wu *Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Physical Activity and Health Promotion, Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Dongdong Gao *Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Physical Activity and Health Promotion, Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Lu Leng *College of Foreign Languages, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Younian MaiGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Physical Activity and Health Promotion, Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Chen HuangDr. Neher's Biophysics Laboratory for Innovative Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China.
Min HuGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Physical Activity and Health Promotion, Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. minhu@gzsport.edu.cn.
Junhao HuangGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Physical Activity and Health Promotion, Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. junhaohuang2006@hotmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9981-9558

Funding

Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province 2023A1515012011Federal State Budget Scientific Institution Research Institute - Republican Research and Consulting Center of Expertise 2023ZDZX2033Scientific Research Project of Sports Bureau of Guangdong Province GDSS2022N012
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeAppropriate physical exercise could prevent, delay, or reverse cognitive decline in aging people, which could improve their quality of life. However, the underlying mechanisms are still elusive. The present study aimed to explore the effects of 8-week Flexi-bar vibration exercise (FE) on the cognitive function in middle-aged and elderly women and uncover the underlying mechanisms.

methodsThirty middle-aged and elderly women were randomly assigned to the FE group or the control group (n = 15 in each group). Executive function and real-time oxyhemoglobin concentration (oxy-Hb) changes in different cerebral regions were evaluated through the Color-Word Stroop Test and functional near-infrared spectroscopy, respectively. Circulating levels of Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression levels of microRNAs were determined using microRNA sequencing and real-time PCR approaches, followed by an integrated bioinformatics/biostatistics analysis.

resultsOur data showed that 8 weeks of FE had a positive effect on preventing cognitive decline, with improved blood oxygen content in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), up-regulated BDNF level, and down-regulated level of TNF-α in serum. Besides, our data showed that 14 microRNAs, which are related to the cognitive function, were up/down-regulated in the FE group.

conclusionOur study revealed that 8-week FE could regulate the expression levels of microRNAs related to cognitive function, elevate BDNF level, and decrease TNF-α level, and thus improve cognitive performance in middle-aged and elderly women.

Indexed as

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic FactorCognitionCognitive DysfunctionExerciseMicroRNAsTumor Necrosis Factor-alphaVibrationAgedFemaleHumansMiddle AgedBDNF protein, humanBrain-Derived Neurotrophic FactorMicroRNAsTumor Necrosis Factor-alphaBDNFCognitive functionFlexi-bar exercisemircoRNAsTNF-α

Identifiers

PMID40965604

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.