Introduction
Anandamide (AEA) is an endocannabinoid operative in several biological functions. Nevertheless, it is not known the effect of aerobic exercise training (EXT) on plasma [AEA].
Aims
Because a dysfunctional endocannabinoid system has been suggested to underlie migraine (M) pathophysiology, we intended to explore the plasma [AEA] after EXT in M patients and healthy individuals.
Methods
EXT protocol consisted of 12-week of supervised treadmill at standardized intensity, performed 3 times/week, 30 min./session. Four groups were separated for intervention or waiting list: Healthy subjects without AET (CC), healthy subjects undergoing EXT (CEXE), M patients without EXT (MC), and M patients undergoing EXT (MEXE). Patients had episodic migraine with and without aura (ICHDII). Blood collections were performed interictally at least 24h after attacks or anti-inflammatory use. AEA was quantified by LC/MS/MS. All participants took no preventive medication.
Results
The study included 48 participants (12 for each group) and groups matched by age, sex, and BMI. Baseline [AEA] was not different between groups. AEA reduced in MEXE and CEXE, but was statistically significant only in CEXE (p = 0.007). There was a trend to a negative correlation between adherence and ΔAEA (r=-0.565, p = 0.056).
Conclusions
Plasma AEA decreases after EXT in healthy subjects. In M patients, this response is prevented by lower adherence. Future studies should investigate the relationship between exercise-reward and AEA.
* p = 0.007, Friedman´s Test
No conflict of interest.
Open AccessThis article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits use, duplication, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.