Document Type : Original Article
Researchers
1
Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran
2
Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran
3
Institute of Primary Care, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Ministerial Ethics Committee
Introduction and Objective: Evidence concerning exercise-induced biological responses, including exerkines, neurophysiological adaptations, and neuromuscular outcomes, remains fragmented across different levels of biological organization. This study aims to identify, classify, and integrate existing evidence and develop an integrative multiscale conceptual framework based on systems biology to characterize exercise-induced exerkine–brain–neuromuscular interactions in relation to neuroplasticity, fatigue resistance, and recovery dynamics.
Methods: This study will employ a secondary research design with a multistage, multimethod approach. The research will comprise four complementary components: a scoping review conducted in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, bibliometric analysis, network science analysis, and machine learning-based text mining. Relevant human studies addressing exercise-induced exerkines and other biological signaling molecules, neurophysiological indicators, neuromuscular adaptations, fatigue, and recovery will be identified, screened, classified, and subjected to structured data extraction. Reported relationships among relevant variables will subsequently be analyzed, and findings from the four components will be integrated into a unified conceptual framework. Network analysis will focus on empirically reported relationships, whereas machine learning methods will be used to identify latent patterns and structures within the existing body of knowledge.
Expected Findings: The study is expected to characterize the intellectual structure of the field, identify thematic clusters, key network nodes, and reported interconnections among molecular, neurophysiological, and functional levels, and develop a conceptual atlas of exerkine–brain–neuromuscular interactions.
Conclusion: The resulting framework is expected to provide a theoretical and analytical foundation for integrating existing evidence, identifying knowledge gaps, and guiding future research in exercise physiology and exercise neuroscience.