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Updated: Aug 5, 2026
A Method for Remotely Silencing Neural Activity in Rodents During Discrete Phases of Learning
Published on: June 22, 2015
Preconditioning by high-intensity interval training and moderate continuous training differentially affect
Mohammadamin Safari1, Elaheh Farahbakht1, Alireza Sharifabadi1
1Department of Sport Sciences, School of Education and Psychology, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.
Objectives:
This study compared high-intensity interval training (HIIT) versus moderate continuous training (MCT) as preconditioning on hippocampal BDNF, TrkB, and TNF-α gene expression in rats exposed to acute noise stress.
Methods:
Forty-two male Wistar rats were randomised into seven groups (n = 6): control, time-control, stress, HIIT, MCT, HIIT+stress, and MCT+stress. Exercise groups underwent 8-week treadmill training (5 sessions/week). HIIT (6x2-min intervals, 85-90% Vmax) or MCT (22-min continuous, 65-70% Vmax). Stress groups received a single 4-hour noise exposure. Hippocampal mRNA was quantified via real-time PCR.
Results:
Both HIIT and MCT significantly upregulated BDNF versus time-control, with HIIT eliciting greater increases. MCT significantly elevated TrkB versus time-control. Noise stress reduced BDNF and TrkB while increasing TNF-α. Both exercise protocols attenuated these alterations. Under stress, HIIT+stress exhibited significantly higher TrkB than MCT+stress. MCT elevated TNF-α versus time-control, but stress-induced increases were similarly mitigated in both preconditioned groups. Correlation analysis revealed strong positive correlations between BDNF and TrkB and moderate correlations between BDNF and TNF-α, and TrkB and TNF-α.
Conclusion:
HIIT and MCT differentially modulate hippocampal gene expression. While MCT effectively upregulates basal TrkB, HIIT provides superior protection against stress-induced TrkB suppression, highlighting intensity-specific neuroprotective adaptations and integrated pathway regulation among BDNF, TrkB, and TNF-α.
