Psychological, Inflammatory, and Blood-Brain Interface Biomarker Levels at Rest Between Untrained and Resistance Trained Groups and in Response To a Single Bout of Resistance Exercise in Healthy Adult Females

Purpose: This research (i) investigated the acute responses of mood, cognitive inhibitory control, a blood-brain interface biomarker (S100 calcium-binding protein B; S100B), and an inflammation biomarker (c-reactive protein; CRP) to a single bout of high intensity resistance exercise in trained (TR) and untrained (UT) females, and (ii) cross-sectionally compared the TR and UT groups on these outcomes at rest to examine potential training adaptations. Methods: Thirty-seven young adult females (18=TR and 19=UT) participated in a randomized crossover design experiment, completing two sessions: one resistance exercise and one resting control. The full-body exercise protocol consisted of eight exercises and the rest protocol entailed watching a 50-minute National Geographic video on whales. Saliva samples and mood states were obtained before as well as immediately, 30-minutes, and 24-hours after the conditions. Cognitive inhibitory control was assessed before and 15 minutes after each condition using the Stroop Color-Word Test. Fingertip blood lactate was obtained before as well as immediately, 5-, and 15-minutes post-exercise. Heart rate and ratings of perceived effort and activated muscle pain intensity were obtained during exercise. Results: Cross-sectionally, S100B and inhibitory control did not differ between TR and UT. Vigor was moderately higher for TR than UT except the effect prior to rest was large (d=0.81) and significant (p=.019). CRP was moderately lower for TR than UT prior to rest (d=.65, p=.056) and 24-hours after (d=.65, p=.03). Acutely, TR and UT had psychological and physiological responses to high intensity acute exercise that did not differ. For the combined groups, the acute exercise increased feelings of vigor immediately and 30-minutes post-exercise (df=2, 72, F=7.455, p=0.001, partial eta = 0.172) and did not significantly change inhibitory control, CRP or S100B. Conclusion: In a sample of young adult females when compared cross-sectionally to the UT, the TR have higher vigor, lower CRP and do not differ on inhibitory control or S100B. The TR and UT respond similarly to an acute bout of high intensity whole body resistance exercise which increases vigor and does not change inhibitory control or salivary CRP and S100B.

Key words: Blood-Brain Barrier, Cognition, c-reactive protein, MoTrPAC, S100B, vigor