Tomas Venckunas

Bio: Tomas Venckunas is an academic researcher from Lithuanian Sports University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Skeletal muscle & Medicine. The author has an hindex of 15, co-authored 59 publications receiving 817 citations.

Ryanodine receptor fragmentation and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ leak after one session of high-intensity interval exercise

Abstract: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a time-efficient way of improving physical performance in healthy subjects and in patients with common chronic diseases, but less so in elite endurance athletes. The mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of HIIT are uncertain. Here, recreationally active human subjects performed highly demanding HIIT consisting of 30-s bouts of all-out cycling with 4-min rest in between bouts (≤3 min total exercise time). Skeletal muscle biopsies taken 24 h after the HIIT exercise showed an extensive fragmentation of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) release channel, the ryanodine receptor type 1 (RyR1). The HIIT exercise also caused a prolonged force depression and triggered major changes in the expression of genes related to endurance exercise. Subsequent experiments on elite endurance athletes performing the same HIIT exercise showed no RyR1 fragmentation or prolonged changes in the expression of endurance-related genes. Finally, mechanistic experiments performed on isolated mouse muscles exposed to HIIT-mimicking stimulation showed reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS)-dependent RyR1 fragmentation, calpain activation, increased SR Ca(2+) leak at rest, and depressed force production due to impaired SR Ca(2+) release upon stimulation. In conclusion, HIIT exercise induces a ROS-dependent RyR1 fragmentation in muscles of recreationally active subjects, and the resulting changes in muscle fiber Ca(2+)-handling trigger muscular adaptations. However, the same HIIT exercise does not cause RyR1 fragmentation in muscles of elite endurance athletes, which may explain why HIIT is less effective in this group.

Endurance exercise increases skeletal muscle kynurenine aminotransferases and plasma kynurenic acid in humans

Abstract: Physical exercise has emerged as an alternative treatment for patients with depressive disorder. Recent animal studies show that exercise protects from depression by increased skeletal muscle kynurenine aminotransferase (KAT) expression which shifts the kynurenine metabolism away from the neurotoxic kynurenine (KYN) to the production of kynurenic acid (KYNA). In the present study, we investigated the effect of exercise on kynurenine metabolism in humans. KAT gene and protein expression was increased in the muscles of endurance-trained subjects compared with untrained subjects. Endurance exercise caused an increase in plasma KYNA within the first hour after exercise. In contrast, a bout of high-intensity eccentric exercise did not lead to increased plasma KYNA concentration. Our results show that regular endurance exercise causes adaptations in kynurenine metabolism which can have implications for exercise recommendations for patients with depressive disorder.

Plasma microRNA levels differ between endurance and strength athletes.

Abstract: Aim MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are stable in the circulation and are likely to function in inter-organ communication during a variety of metabolic responses that involve changes in gene expression, including exercise training. However, it is unknown whether differences in circulating-miRNA (c-miRNA) levels are characteristic of training modality.

Secular trends in physical fitness and body size in Lithuanian children and adolescents between 1992 and 2012

Abstract: Background and methods There is a paucity of data on contemporary secular trends on the different aspects of physical fitness in school-aged children and adolescents. This study presents the largest ever data set on changes in fitness between 1992, 2002 and 2012 for both genders of schoolchildren aged 11–18 years (n=16 199). Eurofit test battery was used to assess the balance, flexibility, muscular strength and power, agility and cardiorespiratory fitness. Anthropometrics were also measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Results The study has shown loss of flexibility, leg muscle power, upper body strength and cardiorespiratory fitness between 1992 and 2012, although there was an improvement in abdominal muscle strength in girls, agility in boys and balance in both genders during the same period. At large, negative trends in aspects of fitness seen between 1992 and 2002 have not slowed down between 2002 and 2012. Positive trends in agility and abdominal muscle strength seen before 2002 have regressed or were reversed between 2002 and 2012, while balance continued to improve at increased pace. While the BMI continued to increase in all groups, analysis of covariance has shown that it was not the main cause of changes in fitness. Conclusions The general decline in physical fitness in Lithuanian schoolchildren observed between 1992 and 2002 continued between 2002 and 2012, although some aspects of fitness showed a positive trend. If this general negative trend continues, it will compromise the well-being of future adults and create a serious economic burden on the society.

Skeletal muscle PGC-1α1 reroutes kynurenine metabolism to increase energy efficiency and fatigue-resistance.

Abstract: The coactivator PGC-1α1 is activated by exercise training in skeletal muscle and promotes fatigue-resistance. In exercised muscle, PGC-1α1 enhances the expression of kynurenine aminotransferases (Kats), which convert kynurenine into kynurenic acid. This reduces kynurenine-associated neurotoxicity and generates glutamate as a byproduct. Here, we show that PGC-1α1 elevates aspartate and glutamate levels and increases the expression of glycolysis and malate-aspartate shuttle (MAS) genes. These interconnected processes improve energy utilization and transfer fuel-derived electrons to mitochondrial respiration. This PGC-1α1-dependent mechanism allows trained muscle to use kynurenine metabolism to increase the bioenergetic efficiency of glucose oxidation. Kat inhibition with carbidopa impairs aspartate biosynthesis, mitochondrial respiration, and reduces exercise performance and muscle force in mice. Our findings show that PGC-1α1 activates the MAS in skeletal muscle, supported by kynurenine catabolism, as part of the adaptations to endurance exercise. This crosstalk between kynurenine metabolism and the MAS may have important physiological and clinical implications. PGC-1α is activated by exercise and promotes resistance to fatigue in muscles. Here, the authors show that PGC-1α activates the malate-aspartate shuttle, and allows muscle to utilise kynurenine, leading to more efficient glucose oxidation and mitochondrial respiration.

Using Multivariate Statistics

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Learning and Memory

Abstract: Experimental Psychology Its Scope and Method. IV. Learning and Memory. By Jean-Francois Le Ny, G. De Montpellier, G. Oleron and Cesar Flores. Translated by Louise Elkington. Edited by P. Fraisse and Jean Piaget. Pp. viii + 376. (Routledge and Kegan Paul: London, April 1970.) 80s.

Kynurenines: Tryptophan’s metabolites in exercise, inflammation, and mental health

Abstract: BACKGROUND The essential amino acid tryptophan is a substrate for the generation of several bioactive compounds with important physiological roles. Only a small fraction of ingested tryptophan is used in anabolic processes, whereas the large majority is metabolized along the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan degradation. This pathway generates a range of metabolites, collectively known as kynurenines, involved in inflammation, immune response, and excitatory neurotransmission. Kynurenines have been linked to several psychiatric and mental health disorders such as depression and schizophrenia. In addition, due to the close relationship between kynurenine metabolism and inflammatory responses, kynurenines are emerging as recognized players in a variety of diseases such as diabetes and cancer. Because the levels of enzymes of the kynurenine pathway in peripheral tissues tend to be much higher than in the brain, their contribution to the kynurenine pathway can have both local and systemic consequences. Due to their characteristics, kynurenine and its metabolites have the right profile to fill the role of mediators of interorgan communication. ADVANCES Understanding how the tryptophan-kynurenine pathway is regulated in different tissues, and the diverse biological activities of its metabolites, has become of interest to many areas of science. The bioavailability of tryptophan can be affected by factors that range from gut microbiome composition to systemic inflammatory signals. Gut-resident bacteria can directly absorb tryptophan and thus limit its availability to the host organism. The resulting metabolites can have local effects on both microbiome and host cells and even mediate interspecies communication. In addition, the biochemical fate of absorbed tryptophan will be affected by cross-talk with other nutrients and even by individual fitness, because skeletal muscle has recently been shown to contribute to kynurenine metabolism. With exercise training, skeletal muscle increases the expression of kynurenine aminotransferase enzymes and shifts peripheral kynurenine metabolism toward the production of kynurenic acid. As a consequence, alleviating the accumulation of kynurenine in the central nervous system can positively affect mental health, such as reducing stress-induced depressive symptoms. The kynurenine pathway is highly regulated in the immune system, where it promotes immunosuppression in response to inflammation or infection. Kynurenine reduces the activity of natural killer cells, dendritic cells, or proliferating T cells, whereas kynurenic acid promotes monocyte extravasation and controls cytokine release. Perturbations in the kynurenine pathway have been linked to several diseases. High kynurenine levels can increase the proliferation and migratory capacity of cancer cells and help tumors escape immune surveillance. Kynurenine metabolites have been proposed as markers of type 2 diabetes and may interfere at some level with either insulin secretion or its action on target cells. Kynurenines can signal through different tissue-specific extra- and intracellular receptors in a network of events that integrates nutritional and environmental cues with individual health and fitness. OUTLOOK The modulation of tryptophan-kynurenine metabolism using lifestyle and pharmacological interventions could help prevent and treat several diseases with underlying inflammatory mechanisms, including metabolic, oncologic, and mental health disorders. In this context, and considering the substantial effect that the gut microbiome can have on preabsorptive tryptophan metabolism, it is tempting to envision the use of probiotic-based therapies. The discovery that aerobic exercise training can reduce kynurenine levels in circulation and in the central nervous system could have important implications for the development of future generations of antidepressant medications. This again stresses the many advantages of remaining physically active throughout life. Understanding the multiple levels of control of the kynurenine pathway could help predict susceptibility to disease linked to environmental and dietary signals.

Physiological adaptations to interval training and the role of exercise intensity

Abstract: Interval exercise typically involves repeated bouts of relatively intense exercise interspersed by short periods of recovery. A common classification scheme subdivides this method into high-intensity interval training (HIIT; 'near maximal' efforts) and sprint interval training (SIT; 'supramaximal' efforts). Both forms of interval training induce the classic physiological adaptations characteristic of moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) such as increased aerobic capacity (VO2 max ) and mitochondrial content. This brief review considers the role of exercise intensity in mediating physiological adaptations to training, with a focus on the capacity for aerobic energy metabolism. With respect to skeletal muscle adaptations, cellular stress and the resultant metabolic signals for mitochondrial biogenesis depend largely on exercise intensity, with limited work suggesting that increases in mitochondrial content are superior after HIIT compared to MICT, at least when matched-work comparisons are made within the same individual. It is well established that SIT increases mitochondrial content to a similar extent to MICT despite a reduced exercise volume. At the whole-body level, VO2 max is generally increased more by HIIT than MICT for a given training volume, whereas SIT and MICT similarly improve VO2 max despite differences in training volume. There is less evidence available regarding the role of exercise intensity in mediating changes in skeletal muscle capillary density, maximum stroke volume and cardiac output, and blood volume. Furthermore, the interactions between intensity and duration and frequency have not been thoroughly explored. While interval training is clearly a potent stimulus for physiological remodelling in humans, the integrative response to this type of exercise warrants further attention, especially in comparison to traditional endurance training.