Beneficial effects of an innovative exercise model on motor and oxidative disorders induced by haloperidol in rats

Here we evaluate the influence of a new exercise protocol on movement disorders induced by neuroleptic drugs. In this animal model, involuntary movements are closely related to neuronal degeneration and oxidative stress (OS) that can be caused by pre-synaptic D2 receptor blockade increasing dopamine (DA) metabolism. The increase in vacuous chewing movements (VCM) and the reduced locomotor activity induced by haloperidol treatment (12 mg/kg-im, once a week for 4 weeks) was prevented by exercise, 5 times per week, which was initiated four weeks before the first haloperidol administration. Exercise training also prevented the increase of haloperidol-induced lipid peroxidation in the cortex and subcortical region and recovered the catalase activity in the subcortical region. There was a negative correlation between catalase activity in the subcortical region and the VCM frequency (r = 0.50, p < 0.05), as well as a positive correlation between VCM frequency and lipid peroxidation in the cortex (r = 0.64, p < 0.05) and subcortical region (r = 0.71, p < 0.0001). Both haloperidol and exercise increased DA uptake in the striatum, while the co-treatment (exercise plus haloperidol) reduced it. The striatal DA uptake correlated negatively with catalase activity (r = 0.51, p < 0.05), indicating a relationship between oxidative damage and the function of the transporter in the striatum. Our findings show that physical exercise can modulate dopamine uptake, especially when it is altered, and reveal the benefit of this new exercise protocol in the prevention of movement disorders related to oxidative damage.