title: Moderate treadmill exercise rescues anxiety and depression-like behavior as well as memory impairment in a rat model of posttraumatic stress disorder.
abstract: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition which can develop from exposure to a severe traumatic event such as those occurring during wars or natural disasters. Benzodiazepines and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are considered the gold standard for PTSD treatment, but their side effects pose a serious problem. While regular physical exercise is regarded as a mood elevator and known to enhance cognitive function, its direct role in rescuing core symptoms of PTSD including anxiety and depression-like behaviors and cognitive impairment is unclear. In the present study using the single-prolonged stress (SPS) rat model of PTSD (2h restrain, 20 min forced swimming, 15 min rest, and 1-2 min diethyl ether exposure), we examined the beneficial effect of moderate treadmill exercise on SPS-induced behavioral deficits including anxiety and depression-like behaviors and memory impairment. Male Wistar rats were randomly assigned into four groups: control (sedentary), exercised, SPS (no exercise), or SPS-exercised. Rats were exercised on a rodent treadmill for 14 consecutive days. Rats in all groups were tested for anxiety-like behaviors using open field (OF), light-dark and elevated-plus maze tests. All rats were tested for short-term and long-term memory in the radial arm water maze test. Rats were then sacrificed, blood was collected (for corticosterone levels), and individual organs (spleen, adrenals, and thymus) harvested. Results suggest that moderate physical exercise ameliorates SPS-induced behavioral deficits in rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Gaurav
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Patki
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Lumeng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Farida
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Allam
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Naimesh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Solanki
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: An T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Dao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Karim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Alkadhi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Houston, TX, USA. Electronic address: ssalim@uh.edu.
authors.forename: Samina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salim
mesh_terms: D059445:Anhedonia / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000502:physiology; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011897:Random Allocation; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D003345:Corticosterone
keywords: Anxiety; Cognition; Depression; PTSD; Stress; Treadmill exercise