Physiologia

Background/Objectives: Cognitive impairment and sleep disturbances are highly prevalent in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly during middle age, and negatively affect functional independence and quality of life. Although physical exercise has demonstrated cognitive and sleep-related benefits in MS, tolerance to high-intensity training is often limited. Blood flow restriction (BFR) training, which combines low-load resistance exercise with partial vascular occlusion, has emerged as a feasible alternative. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a 12-week BFR training program on performance in specific cognitive domains and sleep quality in middle-aged adults with MS. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in 65 adults with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) aged 40–65 years and an Expanded Disability Status Scale score below 7. Participants were randomly assigned to a BFR training group or a usual-care control group. The intervention consisted of supervised low-load resistance training with BFR performed twice weekly for 12 weeks. Outcomes assessed before and after the intervention included processing speed (Symbol Digit Modalities Test), executive function (Trail Making Test A and B), verbal fluency (Isaacs Set Test), and self-reported sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index). Results: Compared with controls, participants in the BFR group showed significant improvements in specific cognitive domains, including processing speed, executive function, and verbal fluency. Significant reductions were also observed in self-reported global sleep disturbance and daytime dysfunction. No adverse events were reported. Conclusions: A 12-week BFR training program improved performance in key cognitive domains and self-reported sleep quality in middle-aged adults with MS, supporting its feasibility and potential clinical relevance as an exercise-based intervention.

This meta-analysis investigates the acute (immediate) pre–post changes in the modulation of physiological tremor in healthy adults following physical exercise, including resistance-based protocols. Physiological tremor is characterized by low-amplitude, high-frequency oscillations during posture or movement and reflects transient changes in neuromuscular control. Background/Objectives: Quantify the pooled effect of physical exercise on physiological tremor amplitude in healthy adults using magnitude-based metrics (RMS, peak power). A secondary objective was to synthesize evidence from acute resistance-based protocols separately. Methods: This meta-analysis was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020) guidelines and followed the methodological framework outlined in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Thirteen experimental studies met the inclusion criteria, with eleven included in the general exercise analysis and eight in the acute resistance-based subset. Results: Random-effects models revealed a moderate reduction in tremor amplitude following acute exercise (Hedges’ g = −0.42, p < 0.001). The resistance-based synthesis was restricted to acute single-session protocols only and indicated a directionally consistent reduction in tremor amplitude. Conclusions: These findings suggest that physical exertion is associated with transient suppression of physiological tremor amplitude. Acute single-session resistance-based exercise protocols showed a consistent direction of effect, although pooled estimates should be interpreted cautiously due to heterogeneity. Overall, physiological tremor may serve as a sensitive, non-invasive outcome measure reflecting short-term neuromuscular state.

Background/Objectives: Teaching is a profession characterized by a high burden of stress. This study examined sex differences in autonomic regulation by analysing heart rate variability (HRV) and body fat percentage (BF%) in teachers, explicitly hypothesizing that the association between adiposity and autonomic modulation (HRV) would be more consistent in men. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 253 teachers from compulsory and university education during the 2022–2023 academic year. HRV was obtained from heart rate recordings, and body composition was assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Analyses were stratified by sex and, in addition to comparisons based on the sex-specific median of fat mass (kg), ANCOVA models were performed and adjusted for age, teaching experience, and educational level. Results: Teachers with higher BF% were older (43.46 vs. 40.65 years; p = 0.007) and reported higher perceived stress (7.60 vs. 6.83; p = 0.034). In men, HRV was lower in the ≥p50 adiposity group, with reductions in RMSSD and pNN50 (p = 0.015–0.016). In women, RMSSD and pNN50 were not significant (p > 0.20; small effect sizes). In adjusted analyses (ANCOVA), no significant differences were found in men for any index; in women, HRmax and the LF/HF ratio were significant (small effects), whereas the remaining indices were not. Conclusions: Greater adiposity was associated with higher stress and lower HRV, particularly in men. In women, the pattern was more heterogeneous, and significance after adjustment was limited to HRmax and the LF/HF ratio, suggesting the need for sex-specific approaches to the assessment and promotion of psychophysiological well-being in teachers.