Biology subjects

Fadai, T.

Publications and source records attributed to Fadai, T..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Exercise-Induced Hypoalgesia Following High- vs. Low-Intensity Aerobic Exercise in Fit Females

In a previous study by our group (Nold et al., 2025), we investigated exercise-induced pain modulation after high-intensity compared to low-intensity exercise in a heterogeneous sample of diverse fitness levels. Exploratory analyses suggested an interaction of sex, fitness level, and drug treatment, indicating that males showed increasing hypoalgesia after high- compared to low-intensity exercise with increasing fitness levels, which was diminished when naloxone was administered. In contrast, these effects were not evident in females. These exploratory findings warranted further investigation to determine if and to what extent exercise-induced pain modulation depends on fitness level and/or sex. In this current study, we investigated an all-female sample (N = 21) of high fitness levels using a similar paradigm as in the previous study, comparing heat and pressure pain ratings after high-intensity and low-intensity exercise. Our data show an interaction of exercise intensity and stimulus intensity in heat pain, with greater pain relief following high-intensity exercise, especially at the highest stimulus intensity. Despite results for pressure pain not reaching significance, a similar trend was evident. These results suggest that females at a high fitness level also show exercise-induced pain modulation for high-intensity compared to low-intensity exercise. Furthermore, we pooled the data of the current and previous study, providing evidence for fitness level but not sex to moderate exercise-induced pain modulation in heat pain. These findings suggest that exercise-induced pain modulation depends on fitness level but not on sex.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2024

Exercise-induced pain modulation is sex, opioid, and fitness-dependent and mediated by the medial frontal cortex

Exercise might lead to a release of endogenous opioids, potentially resulting in pain relief. However, the neurobiological underpinnings of this effect remain unclear. Using a pharmacological within-subject fMRI study with the opioid antagonist naloxone and different levels of aerobic exercise and pain we investigated exercise-induced hypoalgesia (N = 39, 21 female). Overall, high-intensity aerobic exercise did not reduce pain as compared to low-intensity aerobic exercise. Accordingly, we observed no significant changes in the descending pain modulatory system. The {micro}-opioid antagonist naloxone significantly increased overall pain ratings but showed no interaction with exercise intensity. An exploratory analysis suggested an influence of fitness level (as indicated by the functional threshold power) and sex where males showed greater hypoalgesia after high-intensity exercise with increasing fitness levels. This effect was attenuated by naloxone and mirrored by fMRI signal changes in the medial frontal cortex, where activation also varied with fitness level and sex, and was reversed by naloxone. These results indicate that different aerobic exercise intensities have no differential effect on pain in a mixed population sample, but individual factors such as fitness level and sex might play a role. The current study underscores the need for personalised exercise interventions to enhance pain relief in healthy as well as chronic pain populations taking into account the sex and fitness status as well as the necessity to further investigate the opioidergic involvement in exercise-induced pain modulation.

neuroscience↗