THE IMPACT OF HIGH-INTENSITY INTERVALL TRAINING (HIIT) ON NEUROFILAMENTS (PNFL) AND FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY IN PERSONS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

J. Bansi^1,2, R. Gonzenbach³, D. Wazlik⁴, S. Proschinger⁴, A. Rademacher⁴, N. Joisten⁴, P. Zimmer⁴

¹Kliniken-Valens, Reserach and Development, Valens, Switzerland, ²OST - Eastern Switzerland University of applied Sciences, Health, St. Gallen, Switzerland, ³Kliniken-Valens, Neurology, Valens, Switzerland, ⁴TU Dortmund, Sport Sciences, Dortmund, Germany

Background: Exercise alleviates various symptoms in persons with Multiple Sclerosis and disease-modifying effects are discussed. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has become a popular training method in pwMS that leads to greater improvements in physical fitness and disease-associated biomarkers than classical moderate continuous training (MCT).^​ A better understanding of exercise-induced mechanisms would improve our understanding of disease-modifying effects and help to develop targeted exercise recommendations for pwMS.

Purpose: To examine acute (single-bout) and training effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) versus moderate continious training (MCT) on pNfL and functional capacity in pwMS.

Methods: 69 persons with MS (EDSS 3.0-6.0) were randomly assigned to a HIIT or a MCT group. Changes in pNfL were assessed before, after and three hours after the first training session and after the three-week training intervention. Functional capacity was assessed with the Assessment of Motor and Processing skills (AMPS) before and after the three week training intervention.

Results: A significant interaction effect between the groups was observed at both measurement time points - immediately post exercise (p=.005; CI [-1.015; -.193) and 3h post exercise (p=.006; CI [-2.396; -.422]) - with lower pNfL levels in HIIT compared to MCT. Exercise significantly reduced pNfL (p=.005; CI [-1.015; -.193]) concentations. HIIT significantly improved motor performance skills of daily activities (p=.025) but showed to interaction effect. However HIIT consistently led to greater effects on physical characteristics of the performance skills than MCT.

Conclusions: Acute exercise diminishes pNfL levels in pwMS indicating a potential alleviation in ongoing neurodegeneration. Moreover, HIIT improved motor performance skills (functional capacity) of daily activities in pwMS.

Implications: Future studies and clinical assessments of pNfL must consider acute exercise as confounding factor for measurement reliability. Moreover, exercise-induced effects might mediate neuroprotection that potentially underly the (functional) benefits in rehabilitation for persons with MS.

Funding acknowledgements: This study was funded by the following trusts:
Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Society (SMSG-12D-2018);
Grenzen überschreiten (GRENZ-JB/18-007);
Blumenau-Léonie Hartmann-Stiftung;

Keywords:
Multiple Sclerosis
High-Intensity Intervall Training
Neurofilaments

Topics:
Neurology: multiple sclerosis
Disability & rehabilitation

Did this work require ethics approval? Yes

Institution: Kliniken-Valens

Committee: Ethics Committee of Eastern Switzerland (EKOS)

Ethics number: EKOS18/96; Project-ID: 2018–01378