title: Protective effects of forced exercise against methylphenidate-induced anxiety, depression and cognition impairment in rat.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Methylphenidate (MPH), a neural stimulant, can cause damages to brain; the chronic neurochemical and behavioral effects of MPH remain unclear. Exercise lowers stress and anxiety and can act as non-pharmacologic neuroprotective agent. In this study protective effects of exercise in MPH-induced anxiety, depression and cognition impairment were investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy adult male rats were divided randomly into five groups. Group 1 served as negative control, received normal saline (0.2 ml/rat) for 21 days, group 2 and 3 (as positive controls) received MPH (10 and 20 mg/kg) for 21 days. Groups 4 and 5 concurrently were treated with MPH (10 and 20 mg/kg) and forced exercise for 21 days. On day 21, Elevated Plus Maze (EPM), Open Field Test (OFT), Forced Swim Test (FST) and Tail Suspension Test (TST) were used to investigate the level of anxiety and depression in animals. In addition between 17(th) and 21(th) days, Morris Water Maze (MWM) was applied to evaluate the effect of MPH on spatial learning and memory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MPH-treated animals indicated a reflective depression and anxiety in a dose-dependent manner in FST, EPM and TST which were significantly different from the control group and also can significantly attenuate the motor activity and anxiety in OFT. Forced exercise by treadmill can attenuate MPH-induced anxiety, depression and motor activity alteration in OFT. MPH also can disturb learning and memory in MWM and forced exercise can neutralize this effect of MPH.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that forced exercise can be protective in brain against MPH-induced anxiety, depression and cognition alteration.
authors: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine and Razi Drug Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Majid
authors: M
authors: Motaghinejad
authors: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine and Razi Drug Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Manijeh
authors: M
authors: Motevalian
authors: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Setare Farokhi
authors: SF
authors: Larijani
authors: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Zohreh
authors: Z
authors: Khajehamedi
keywords: Anxiety; cognition impairment; depression; forced exercise; methylphenidate