Abstract
Physical exercise induces epigenetic modifications that significantly influence the expression of a set of small non-coding RNAs known as miRNAs. These changes can enhance exercise performance and impact the neurological system, suggesting that understanding miRNA-mediated mechanisms during exercise may offer valuable insights into using exercise as a therapeutic approach for neurodegenerative diseases. The existing literature on exercise-induced molecular pathways often presents inherent biases, complicating the establishment of exercise-induced miRNAs as reliable biomarkers for various chronic conditions due to their variable expression at tissue, organ, and systemic levels. Specifically, miRNA expression can downregulate critical signaling pathways such as TGF-β, FOXO, and NOTCH, which are implicated in the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Exercise can override this scenario by targeting the expression of these miRNAs. However, the link between exercise modality-induced benefits (types, intensity, and duration) and the miRNA expression in brain cells is poorly understood. Therefore, this review aims to discuss how exercise-mediated miRNA expression affects brain pathophysiology, particularly in the context of neurodegenerative diseases.