title: Forced exercise does not improve recovery after hemorrhagic stroke in rats.
abstract: Exercise can improve recovery following ischemia and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in rodents. We tested whether forced exercise (EX; running wheel) prior to and/or following ICH in rats would reduce lesion volume and improve functional outcome (walking, skilled reaching, spontaneous paw usage) at 7 weeks post-ICH. A striatal hemorrhage was produced by infusing collagenase. First, we compared animals that received EX (2 weeks; 1 h/day) ending two days prior to ICH and/or starting two weeks following ICH. EX did not improve functional recovery or affect lesion size. Doubling the amount of EX given per day (two 1-h sessions) both prior to and following ICH did not alter lesion volume, but worsened recovery. We then determined if EX (1 h/day) prior to and following ICH would affect outcome after a somewhat milder insult. There were no differences between the groups in lesion volume or recovery. Finally, we used a hemoglobin assay at 12 h following ICH to determine if pre-stroke EX (2 weeks; 1 h/day) aggravated bleeding. It did not. These observations suggest that EX does not improve outcome when given prior to and/or when delayed following ICH. Effective rehabilitation for ICH will likely require more complex interventions than forced running.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: Angela M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Auriat
authors.forename: Jennifer D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Grams
authors.forename: Reginia H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Frederick
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Colbourne
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D017364:Collagenases; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005508:Food Deprivation / Q000502:physiology; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D020300:Intracranial Hemorrhages / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal / Q000379:methods*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D017364:Collagenases