Wheel-running modestly promotes functional recovery after a unilateral cortical lesion in rats.
BACKGROUND
We aimed to determine whether early or delayed wheel-running (W) after a cortical lesion in rats influences functional recovery and protein expression involving synaptic plasticity.


METHODS
57 rats were arranged in 4 groups: (1) Sham, (2) NMDA, (3) W-24 h or (4) W-72 h (W-24 h and W-72 h means wheel-running for 14 days starting day 1 or day 3 after NMDA lesion). NMDA produced a standardized lesion in the unilateral sensorimotor cortex and detectable behavioral deficits. Synaptogenesis was measured by immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
Wheel-running starting after 24 h had no detectable effect, but it significantly speeded functional recovery when delayed to after 72 h. These results were in accordance with a marker linked to synaptogenesis.


CONCLUSIONS
Wheel-running starting 3 days, but not 1 day, after an NMDA lesion is associated with improved functional recovery.
Zhao
Xiurong
X
Department of Neurology, University of Texas, Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Aronowski
Jaroslaw
J
Liu
Shi-Jie
SJ
Schallert
Timothy
T
Zhang
Jie
J
Strong
Roger
R
Ou
Zhi-Shuo
ZS
Nguyen
Theresa
T
Grotta
James C
JC
D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000293:injuries*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007839:Functional Laterality; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012420:Running