Effects of Exercise Training on fat distribution, pro-inflammatory cytokines, insulin sensitivity & cognitive function in young adults with Autism
Project Description:
The purpose of this study is to determine what effect a 12-week moderate aerobic exercise program has on state-of-the-art measurements of metabolism, fat distribution, insulin sensitivity, physical activity, exercise difficulty and aerobic fitness, oxidative stress, serum pro-inflammatory cytokines and adipokines, as well as cognitive function (including executive function and self-report measures regarding psychological well-being) on 12 young adult males with a diagnosis from the autism spectrum disorders. This will be pursued through the use of pre-test and post-test measures of executive function, Beck's Anxiety, Beck's Depression, and Quality of Life scale, body/fat composition, peak oxygen uptake, exercise difficulty and energy cost, insulin sensitivity, and hormones. Participants will participate in an exercise intervention consisting of walking/running up to a maximum heart rate level 70% of the max heart rate for the participant?s age (heart rate will be monitored using commercially available Polar FT7 wrist watch). The goal and reasoning is an exercise intervention will increase overall physical health, which will lead to improvements in physiological and cognitive measures.
There is a wealth of anecdotal evidence to suggest that individuals with autism spectrum disorders tend to be overweight and physically inactive. A small amount of research has been published related to basic measurements of health-related fitness. The prevalence of obesity in children with autism spectrum disorders was 23.4% in a study of age growth charts by. Prevalence of at-risk-for overweight was 35.7% and prevalence for overweight was 19% when determined via body mass index. In a study of 54 school-age Canadian children with autism spectrum disorders, 42.6% were obese and that nearly 1/2 of those children had low level of activity. None of these studies used sophisticated methods for data collection. There is no state-of-the art research on fat distribution.
Exercise holds promise for improving both metabolic profile and cognitive function by directly modifying inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, and BDNF. Participation in free living physical activity is associated with less weight gain over one year and exercise training is associated with loss of body fat, particularly visceral fat . In addition, Co-I Hunter has shown recently that exercise training not only slows weight regain for one year following weight loss, but prevents regain of any visceral fat, demonstrating in effect a redistribution of body fat away from the viscera. He has also shown that oxidative stress as measured by 3-nitrotyrosine decreases following VAT loss. Attention span and positive social behavior and learning increased while self-injurious behavior is decreased following aerobic exercise training in individuals with autism. Exercise induced changes in BDNF in mice have been associated with improved learning, a protein that is not only manufactured in brain but in fat tissue, suggesting that the exercise-cognitive function link may be related to exercise induced changes in BDNF, possibly by reducing adipose tissue and/or ectopic fat stores.
Individuals with autism spectrum disorders have successfully completed physical activity interventions. Decreased body mass index was shown in 10 youth with severe autism who participated in a 9 month treadmill walking program. Another study indicated that interventions can promote sustained participation in physical activity in this population. None of these studies investigated aerobic capacity, muscle strength, muscle endurance, fat distribution, cytokines, adipokines, insulin sensitivity, or cognitive function.
The primary benefit for participants will be that they get the opportunity to participate in an intervention program free of cost. Such a training program might result in significant improvement in physical health and an overall positive lifestyle change. In addition, one can find out what changes the intervention has effected in the body of these participants which might inform the scientific community. In the long run, if our intervention has significant impact on health in individuals with autism spectrum disorders, the intervention can be spread to a larger population.
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Geographic Areas, Geographic Area - Other, Specific Groups, Other
