title: Effects of fluoxetine on memory under forced treadmill exercise conditions in male rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies show inconsistent effects of forced exercise on cognitive processes. These differences are probably due to the stress of coercion in forced exercise. Because fluoxetine is used to treat complications caused by stress, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of fluoxetine on memory in rats under forced treadmill exercise.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experimental groups were the control, the control exercise, the fluoxetine, and the fluoxetine exercise. The exercise program was treadmill running at 22 m/min, 0° inclination for 50 min/day, 6 days/week, for 4 weeks. Fluoxetine (5 mg/kg) was injected 30 min before treadmill. Morris water maze and passive avoidance learning tests were used for evaluation of memory. Acquisition phase of both tests were performed before interventions and memory was evaluated 1-day and 1-week after the last session of exercise and treatments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our data showed that forced exercise impaired performance in passive avoidance learning test (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, 1-day and 1-week after the last session of exercise and treatments, respectively). Spatial memory was only impaired after 1-week in the exercise group. Fluoxetine improved spatial memory after 1-day in the control group. However, it had no significant effects on memory in the exercise group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data correspond to the possibility that forced treadmill exercise can cause stress, and thereby cause damage to memory. The present results suggest that although fluoxetine may improve memory in intact rats but it cannot prevent damages that are caused by forced exercise.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Falavarjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jafary
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran ; Applied Physiology Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran ; Biosensor Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Parham
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Reisi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Falavarjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Nooshin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Naghsh
keywords: Fluoxetine; forced treadmill running; memory; rat