Exercise Improves Physical Capacity, Cognition, Quality of Life and Promotes Neurotrophic Factors in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.

English (OpenAlex)

Introduction: We aimed to determine the effect of regular exercise on aerobic capacity, strength values, and plasma levels of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) and Neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and investigate its effects on MS symptoms including cognitive impairment, fatigue, balance disorders, and quality of life (QOL). Methods: value), strength measurements, and balance tests were done, and NGF and NT-3 plasma levels were analyzed in all participants at the beginning and end of the study. Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life-54 (MSQoL-54), fatigue impact scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and, to evaluate cognitive functions, BICAMS scale were applied. Results: max, back and leg strength values, and NGF and NT-3 plasma levels (p<0.01). Cognitive functions, fatigue, sleep quality, and QOL significantly improved in the exercise groups (p<0.01). The balance values were also significantly improved in the aerobic group (p<0.01), and althoughimprovement although improvement was observed in the strength group, it was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Conclusions: Our study provides evidence that regular exercise improves quality of life, cognitive functions, fatigue, and sleep quality in MS patients. The levels of NGF and NT-3, which are important factors in neural regeneration and remyelination, were increased post exercise. It can be suggested that exercise may have a potential effect on MS and slow down the disease process with these results.