Mild forced treadmill exercise enhances spatial learning in the aged rat.
This study addresses whether or not mild, forced treadmill exercise improves learning and increases neurotrophin levels in the basal forebrain (BF). Neurotrophin deficits in the BF have been implicated in Alzheimer's disease, and physical exercise increases neurotrophins. Aged rats exercised for 7 weeks found the hidden platform faster than controls (F(1, 10)=14.6, p<0.05), and swam shorter pathlengths (F(1, 10)=12.6, p<0.05), with no difference in swim speed. Neurotrophins did not differ.
Albeck
David S
DS
Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Denver, Campus Box 173, P.O. Box 173364, Denver, CO 80217-3364, USA. David.Albeck@cudenver.edu
Sano
Kazuhiro
K
Prewitt
Gayle E
GE
Dalton
Lori
L
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal / Q000379:methods*; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D013037:Spatial Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors