Mediating Mechanism of Neurotrophic Factors in Antidepressant Effects of Exercise

Neurotrophic factors play a role in the development, survival and apoptosis of neurons, because of its important role in the neurodevelopment and neuroplasticity, it has long been paid much attention in the field of neuroscience. The neurotrophic hypothesis of depression believed that depression can lead to changes in the expression level of neurotrophic factors, the serum level and brain region expression of various neurotrophic factors in patients with depression are significantly different from the healthy individuals, this suggests that neurotrophic factors may become a new marker of depression. Exercise can regulate neuroplasticity, neurogenesis, cell survival, hypothalamicpituitary-adrenal axis activity, monoamine neurotransmitters, central inflammation and then play antidepressant effects by changing the expression level of many neurotrophic factors, including nerve growth factor gene family, fibroblast growth factor family, neuropoietic cytokine family, glial cell linederived neurotrophic factor family and other neurotrophic factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor and insulin like growth factor-1. This paper reviews mediating mechanism of neurotrophic factors in antidepressant effects of exercise, we hope to find “peripheral neurotrophic factors” as depression biomarkers used for biopsy and exercise intervention, and the findings are supposed to suggest more possibilities for research and treatment of depression.