title: Exercise alters resting-state functional connectivity of motor circuits in parkinsonian rats.
abstract: Few studies have examined changes in functional connectivity after long-term aerobic exercise. We examined the effects of 4 weeks of forced running wheel exercise on the resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of motor circuits of rats subjected to bilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesion of the dorsal striatum. Our results showed substantial similarity between lesion-induced changes in rsFC in the rats and alterations in rsFC reported in Parkinson's disease subjects, including disconnection of the dorsolateral striatum. Exercise in lesioned rats resulted in: (1) normalization of many of the lesion-induced alterations in rsFC, including reintegration of the dorsolateral striatum into the motor network; (2) emergence of the ventrolateral striatum as a new broadly connected network hub; and (3) increased rsFC among the motor cortex, motor thalamus, basal ganglia, and cerebellum. Our results showed for the first time that long-term exercise training partially reversed lesion-induced alterations in rsFC of the motor circuits, and in addition enhanced functional connectivity in specific motor pathways in the parkinsonian rats, which could underlie recovery in motor functions observed in these animals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Zhuo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Yumei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Kalisa G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Heintz
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Yu-Hao
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Jean-Michel I
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Maarek
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Cell and Neurobiology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: holschne@usc.edu.
authors.forename: Daniel P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Holschneider
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000503:physiopathology; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000503:physiopathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004525:Efferent Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000503:physiopathology; D066328:Ventral Striatum / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: Basal ganglia; Brain mapping; Cerebellum; Exercise; Functional connectivity; Motor cortex; Motor training; Parkinson's disease; Plasticity; Thalamus