Introduction and Purpose: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of eight weeks of WB-EMS training on body composition and BDNF gene expression in elderly men.

Materials and Methods: This applied study was conducted with a pre-test and post-test design with two experimental groups and a control group. In this study, 25 elderly men participated. The subjects were randomly divided into two whole-body electrical muscle stimulation training groups(n=12) (Mean age = 61.58±1.67, weight = 88.70±7.96, and body mass index = 29.48±1.97) and control (n=13) (Mean age = 62.84±2.73, weight = 89.44±6.36, and body mass index = 29.22±2.39). The experimental group performed the exercises twice a week for 8 weeks. After separating plasma and PBMN cells, blood samples were used to examine BDNF gene expression using Real-Time-PCR. Data analysis was performed using repeated measures analysis of variance at a significance level of P<0.05.

Results: The Results showed that eight weeks of WB-EMS training resulted in a significant decrease in body weight(p=0.0001), body mass index(p=0.0001), and body fat percentage(p=0.0001), compared to the control group. The results also showed that the group-time interaction in BDNF gene expression was significant(p=0.0001), indicating that BDNF gene expression increased significantly after eight weeks of WB-EMS training compared to the control group.

Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that eight weeks of WB-EMS training, in addition to improving body composition, can lead to increased BDNF gene expression, which may play an important role in improving cognitive and neurological function in the elderly.