Purpose:
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and alterations in markers related to muscular and neural health. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of eight weeks of neuromuscular training on serum levels of OPA1 and Atrogin-1 in patients with multiple sclerosis.
Methods:
This study was conducted as quasi-experimental applied research with a pretest–posttest design. The statistical population consisted of female patients with multiple sclerosis. The sample included 30 women who were selected through purposive and convenience sampling methods and were randomly assigned equally into two groups of 15 participants: 1) MS group (age: 37.10 ± 5.80 years, height: 160.70 ± 1.03 cm, weight: 58.20 ± 1.62 kg), and 2) MS + exercise group (age: 36.26 ± 5.90 years, height: 161.50 ± 1.42 cm, weight: 57.36 ± 1.63 kg). Neuromuscular training was performed for eight weeks, five sessions per week. The control group did not engage in any exercise during the study period. Blood samples were collected 24 hours before and 48 hours after the last training session, and the serum was used to measure OPA1 and Atrogin-1 levels. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA at a 5% significance level using SPSS version 27.
Results:
The results showed that exercise had a significant reducing effect on OPA1 levels (p = 0.001, η² = 0.875) and Atrogin-1 levels (p = 0.001, η² = 0.682) in patients with MS.
Conclusion:
Eight weeks of neuromuscular training was associated with a significant reduction in OPA1 and Atrogin-1 levels in patients with MS. This suggests that neuromuscular training may improve neural health and reduce muscle atrophy in these patients. Therefore, neuromuscular training may be considered as a complementary approach in the management and faster recovery of patients with MS.