title: Involuntary, Forced and Voluntary Exercises Equally Attenuate Neurocognitive Deficits in Vascular Dementia by the BDNF-pCREB Mediated Pathway.
abstract: A rat model of vascular dementia was used to compare the effects of involuntary exercise induced by functional electrical stimulation (FES), forced exercise and voluntary exercise on the recovery of cognitive function recovery and its underlying mechanisms. In an involuntary exercise (I-EX) group, FES was used to induce involuntary gait-like running on ladder at 12 m/min. A forced exercise group (F-EX) and a voluntary exercise group (V-EX) exercised by wheel running. The Barnes maze was used for behavioral assessment. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) and cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) positive cells in hippocampal CA1, CA2/3 and dentate gyrus (DG) regions were evaluated using immunohistochemical methods. Western blotting was used to assess the levels of BDNF, phosphorylated protein kinase B (Akt), tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB), mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 and 2 (MEK1/2), ERK1/2 and CREB in BDNF-pCREB signaling in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Involuntary, forced and voluntary exercises were all found to reverse the cognitive deficits of vascular dementia with about equal effectiveness. The number of BDNF, pCREB and pERK1/2 immunopositive cells was significantly increased in the hippocampal CA1, CA2/3 and DG regions in all three exercise groups. In addition, involuntary exercise activated BDNF and the phosphorylation of Akt, TrkB, MEK1/2, ERK1/2 and CREB in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex equally as well as voluntary or forced exercise. These results suggest that involuntary exercise induced by FES may be as beneficial for alleviating cognitive deficits after cerebral ischemia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 26 Erheng Road, Yuan Village, Guangzhou, 510655, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Yangyang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Juntao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Xiaokuo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Tiebin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Huiying
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Minghong
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sui
authors.forename: Xiuyuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Huihua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jingpu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Xinxin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D050882:CREB-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007858:Learning; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D050882:CREB-Binding Protein; C494365:Crebbp protein, rat