title: Effects of physical fatigue in mice on learning performance in a water maze.
abstract: We investigated the effects of physical fatigue produced by swimming exercise on learning the Morris water maze in BALB/c mice. We measured the escape latency in the maze immediately after the swimming exercise. The control group was soaked in the water but not fatigued. For easier tasks, like one with an obvious cue flag, the escape latency was not changed by exercise fatigue. However, escape latency was increased after exercise fatigue for more difficult tasks of spatial learning. These results appear to suggest that physical fatigue impaired learning performance. The effects of swimming exercise fatigue on learning efficiency were then investigated. Mice were continuously fatigued during the spatial learning period. This increased escape latency between the first and third sessions. The results suggest that learning efficiency was impaired by exercise fatigue. This system may be useful for screening new foods used to enhance brain function during exercise.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Nutrition Chemistry, Division of Food Science and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Sako, Japan.
authors.forename: Wataru
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mizunoya
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oyaizu
authors.forename: Akimori
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hirayama
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fushiki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005221:Fatigue / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D005082:Physical Exertion / Q000502:physiology; D013550:Swimming / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D014867:Water