Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2026
Motor and Hippocampal Dependent Spatial Learning and Reference Memory Assessment in a Transgenic Rat Model of Alzheimer's Disease with Stroke
Published on: March 22, 2016
Swimming exercise is a promising early intervention for autism-like behavior in Shank3 deletion rats
Dan Xu1,2, Yunchen Meng3, Shasha An1
1College of P.E and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
Introduction:
SHANK3 is an important excitatory postsynaptic scaffold protein, and its mutations lead to genetic cause of neurodevelopmental diseases including autism spectrum disorders (ASD), Philan McDermid syndrome (PMS), and intellectual disability (ID). Early prevention and treatment are important for Shank3 gene mutation disease. Swimming has been proven to have a positive effect on neurodegenerative diseases.
Methods:
Shank3 gene exon 11-21 knockout rats were intervened by a 40 min/day, 5 day/week for 8-week protocol. After the intervention, the rats were tested to behavioral measures such as learning and memory, and the volume and H-spectrum of the brain were measured using MRI; hippocampal dendritic spines were measured using Golgi staining and laser confocal.
Results:
The results showed that Shank3-deficient rats had significant deficits in social memory, object recognition, and water maze learning decreased hippocampal volume and number of neurons, and lower levels of related scaffold proteins and receptor proteins were found in Shank3-deficient rats.
Conclusion:
It is suggested that early swimming exercise has a positive effect on Shank3 gene-deficient rats, which provides a new therapeutic strategy for the prevention and recovery of neurodevelopmental disorders.
