fa تحقيقي Original Paper <div><strong>ABSTRACT</strong><br> <strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Background and Objectives: </strong>The present study aimed to investigate effects of eight weeks of aquatic exercise and resistance training on plasma neurotrophin-4 (NT-4) levels and NT-4 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of women with multiple sclerosis (MS).<br> <strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Methods: </strong>Thirty women with MS were randomly assigned to a resistance-training group, an aquatic exercise group and a control group. After separating plasma and PBMCs from blood samples, level of plasma NT-4 and NT-4 expression was measured after eight weeks of exercise via ELISA and Real-time PCR, respectively.<br> <strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Results: </strong>The level of plasma NT-4 and NT-4 expression increased significantly following eight weeks of aquatic training and resistance training.&nbsp;<br> <strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Conclusion: </strong>Based on the results of the present study, both resistance training and aquatic exercise can increase the level of plasma NT-4 and NT-4 expression in female MS patients. It can be concluded that such trainings could have protective and positive effects on the nervous system of MS patients.<br> <strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Keywords: </strong>Exercise, Multiple Sclerosis, Neurotrophic Factors, Women.</div> Exercise, Multiple Sclerosis, Neurotrophic Factors, Women. 1 6 http://mlj.goums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1-486&slc_lang=fa&sid=1 Asra Askari 100319475328460013875 100319475328460013875 No Department of Sport Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran Amir Rashid Lamir 100319475328460013876 100319475328460013876 Yes Department of Sport Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran Nahid Bijeh 100319475328460013877 100319475328460013877 No Department of Sport Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran Majid Momeni Moghadam 100319475328460013878 100319475328460013878 No Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran