Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2026
Tracking Individual Running Metrics in Mice Using a Voluntary Wheel Running Protocol that Minimizes Social Isolation
Published on: April 18, 2025
Treadmill exercise relieves cortical interneuron hyperactivation to prevent stress-induced anxiety-like behaviors in
Yajie Wang1, Yelin Dai1, Zhenpeng Gao1
1State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Natural Bioactive Molecules and Discovery of Innovative Drugs, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Abstract:
Physical exercise effectively relieves anxiety disorders, and the underlying mechanisms are mostly studied in the regulation of glutamatergic transmission. The potential role of the GABAergic inhibitory pathway, however, is largely underappreciated. The current study found that chronic restraint stress (CRS) induces hyperactivation of parvalbumin (PV)-expressing interneurons (INs) in the prelimbic (PrL) region of male C57BL/6 J mice, and 14-day treadmill exercise effectively reduces PV-IN activity. Such modulation of the inhibitory transmission restores synaptic structure and functions in cortical pyramidal neurons, and chemogenetic manipulation confirmed the necessary role of PV-IN modulation in exercise-mediated anxiolytic effects. Our work broadens the knowledge of cortical inhibitory circuits in exercise intervention against mental illness and provides more targets for the neuromodulation of anxiety disorders.
