Strenuous Exercise Alters Brain Creatine and Glutamate/Glutamine (Glx) in Humans: Evidence From Dynamic ¹H-MRS and ¹H-MRSI.

ABSTRACT: The acute effects of exercise on brain energy metabolism are poorly understood. We used dynamic proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-MRS) to quantify responses of total creatine (tCr), glutamate/glutamine (Glx), and lactate across brain regions following a single bout of strenuous exercise. Sixteen healthy adults (nine female, age: 25 ± 3 years) completed ~15 min of cycling, reaching ~85% of predicted heart rate maximum. Single-voxel ¹H-MRS was acquired at 3 Tesla from frontal and visual cortices before (PRE), 15- (POST15), and 30-min (POST30) following exercise. Multivoxel ¹H-MRSI was acquired from frontal and parietal regions PRE and 25-min following exercise (POST25). tCr concentrations decreased by 5.9% in the frontal cortex between PRE and POST15

SUBMITTER: Pratt J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12829524 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature