Article

This pilot study assessed the effects of cardiopulmonary exercise testing and
cardiorespiratory fitness on plasma neuropeptide Y (NPY), allopregnanolone and
pregnanolone (ALLO), cortisol, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and their
association with pain sensitivity. Medication-free trauma-exposed participants
were either healthy (n = 7) or experiencing comorbid chronic pain/posttraumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) (n = 5). Peak oxygen consumption (VO2) during exercise
testing was used to characterize cardiorespiratory fitness. Peak VO2 correlated
with baseline and peak NPY levels (r = 0.66, p < 0.05 and r = 0.69, p < 0.05,
respectively), as well as exercise-induced changes in ALLO (r = 0.89, p < 0.001)
and peak ALLO levels (r = 0.71, p < 0.01). NPY levels at the peak of exercise
correlated with pain threshold 30 min after exercise (r = 0.65, p < 0.05), while
exercise-induced increases in ALLO correlated with pain tolerance 30 min after
exercise (r = 0.64, p < 0.05). In contrast, exercise-induced changes in cortisol
and DHEA levels were inversely correlated with pain tolerance after exercise (r =
-0.69, p < 0.05 and r = -0.58, p < 0.05, respectively).
These data suggest that
cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with higher plasma NPY levels and
increased ALLO responses to exercise, which in turn relate to pain sensitivity.
Future work will examine whether progressive exercise training increases
cardiorespiratory fitness in association with increases in NPY and ALLO and
reductions in pain sensitivity in chronic pain patients with PTSD.

Langue : ANGLAIS