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Getting to Compliance in Forced Exercise in Rodents: A Critical Standard to Evaluate Exercise Impact in Aging-related Disorders and Disease
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Sex Differences in Neurophysiological Changes Following Voluntary Exercise in Adolescent Rats.

Lindsay Ferguson1,2, Christopher C Giza1,2, Rebecka O Serpa1,2

  • 1Department of Neurosurgery, Brain Injury Research Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.

Frontiers in Neurology
|August 9, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Adolescent rats show sex differences in running behavior and physiological changes after exercise. Exercise impacts brain plasticity and mitochondrial activity, with females exhibiting distinct responses.

Keywords:
BDNFadolescenceestrous cycleexercisesex differences

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Exercise Physiology
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Adolescence involves significant physical, cognitive, and social development, influencing athletic potential.
  • Sex differences in physiology and behavior impact athletic performance, yet pre-clinical adolescent studies are scarce.
  • Understanding exercise effects on the adolescent brain is crucial due to developmental changes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the acute and chronic effects of voluntary exercise on adolescent male and female rats.
  • To analyze exercise-induced changes in running behavior, mitochondrial activity, and neuroplasticity.
  • To explore sex-specific responses to exercise during adolescence.

Main Methods:

  • Adolescent male and female rats had voluntary running wheel access for 10 days, with a subset undergoing a subsequent 10-day rest period.
  • Daily monitoring of running behavior and female estrous cycling.
  • Analysis of brain and muscle tissue for mitochondrial activity (PGC1α) and neuroplasticity markers (BDNF) at 10 and 20 days.

Main Results:

  • Both sexes increased running distance, intensity, and duration over 10 days, with females running further and longer than males.
  • PGC1α expression in cortex and muscle was similar at 10 days but increased significantly by 20 days, correlating with body size.
  • BDNF levels were similar in the cortex and hippocampus across groups, except for higher BDNF in exercised females at the acute time point.

Conclusions:

  • Ten days of exercise induce physiological changes in adolescent rats, including distinct sex differences in running behavior independent of sex hormones.
  • Exercise influences mitochondrial function and neuroplasticity markers in the adolescent brain.
  • These findings contribute to understanding exercise's impact on adolescent brain development and function.