title: Maternal separation enhances object location memory and prevents exercise-induced MAPK/ERK signalling in adult Sprague-Dawley rats.
abstract: Early life stress increases the risk of developing psychopathology accompanied by reduced cognitive function in later life. Maternal separation induces anxiety-like behaviours and is associated with impaired memory. On the other hand, exercise has been shown to diminish anxiety-like behaviours and improve cognitive function. The effects of maternal separation and exercise on anxiety, memory and hippocampal proteins were investigated in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Maternal separation produced anxiety-like behaviours which were reversed by exercise. Maternal separation also enhanced object location memory which was not affected by exercise. Exercise did, however, increase synaptophysin and phospho-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK) in the hippocampus of non-separated rats and this effect was not observed in maternally separated rats. These findings show that maternal separation selectively enhanced n memory and prevented activation of the MAPK/ERK signalling pathway in the adult rat hippocampus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town 7925, South Africa. thulimc@gmail.com
authors.forename: Nokuthula
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Makena
authors.forename: Kishor
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bugarith
authors.forename: Vivienne A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Russell
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008426:Maternal Deprivation; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*