The Effect and Mechanism of Exercise Training on Rats with Poststroke Depression Based on the Intestinal Flora
Jiaen Yang1, Guangjin Zhou1, Zixuan Ou1
1Department of TCM Rehabilitation Medicine, Affiliated Foshan Gaoming Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Foshan, 528000 Guangdong, China.
Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine
|January 3, 2022
Summary
Exercise training may combat poststroke depression (PSD) by reducing inflammation and boosting beneficial gut bacteria. This study explored exercise
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gastroenterology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Poststroke depression (PSD) is a common complication after stroke, leading to increased mortality, cognitive impairment, and reduced quality of life.
- The pathogenesis of PSD involves neurotransmitters, inflammatory factors, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).
- Stroke-induced gut dysfunction and dysbiosis can influence PSD development via immune, endocrine, and neural pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the therapeutic effects of exercise training on depressive behaviors in a rat model.
- To elucidate the underlying mechanisms of exercise intervention in mitigating PSD.
Main Methods:
- Rats were subjected to an experimental model simulating stroke and subsequent depression.
- Exercise training was implemented as an intervention strategy.
- Behavioral changes, inflammatory factor expression, and intestinal flora composition were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Exercise training demonstrated a significant improvement in depressive behaviors in the rats.
- The intervention was associated with reduced expression of proinflammatory factors.
- An increase in the abundance of beneficial lactic acid bacteria in the gut was observed.
Conclusions:
- Exercise training shows promise as a therapeutic approach for poststroke depression.
- The beneficial effects of exercise may be mediated by the suppression of systemic inflammation.
- Modulation of the gut microbiota, specifically an increase in lactic acid bacteria, appears to be a key mechanism involved in exercise's antidepressant effects in PSD.
