title: Spatial learning and neurogenesis: Effects of cessation of wheel running and survival of novel neurons by engagement in cognitive tasks.
abstract: Physical exercise stimulates cell proliferation in the adult dentate gyrus and facilitates acquisition and/or retention of hippocampal-dependent tasks. It is established that regular physical exercise improves cognitive performance. However, it is unclear for how long these benefits last after its interruption. Independent groups of rats received both free access to either unlocked (EXE Treatment) or locked (No-EXE Treatment) running wheels for 7 days, and daily injections of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) in the last 3 days. After a time delay period of either 1, 3, or 6 weeks without training, the animals were tested in the Morris water maze (MWM) either in a working memory task dependent on hippocampal function (MWM-HD) or in a visible platform searching task, independent on hippocampal function (MWM-NH). Data confirmed that exposure of rats to 7 days of spontaneous wheel running increases cell proliferation and neurogenesis. In contrast, neurogenesis was not accompanied by significant improvements of performance in the working memory version of the MWM. Longer time delays between the end of exercise and the beginning of cognitive training in the MWM resulted in lower cell survival; that is, the number of novel surviving mature neurons was decreased when this delay was 6 weeks as compared with when it was 1 week. In addition, data showed that while exposure to the MWM-HD working memory task substantially increased survival of novel neurons, exposure to the MWM-NH task did not, thus indicating that survival of novel dentate gyrus neurons depends on the engagement of this brain region in performance of cognitive tasks. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, Rua Do Matão, Travessa 14, N. 101, São Paulo, 05508-090, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lívia Clemente
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Motta-Teixeira
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Av. Professor Lineu Prestes, 2415, São Paulo, 05508-000, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Silvia Honda
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Takada
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, Rua Do Matão, Travessa 14, N. 101, São Paulo, 05508-090, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Aline Vilar
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Machado-Nils
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Av. Professor Lineu Prestes, 2415, São Paulo, 05508-000, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Inês
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Nogueira
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, Rua Do Matão, Travessa 14, N. 101, São Paulo, 05508-090, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gilberto Fernando
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Xavier
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D034961:Antigens, Nuclear / Q000378:metabolism; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine; D002452:Cell Count; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D065853:Spatial Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D065852:Spatial Memory / Q000502:physiology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D034961:Antigens, Nuclear; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C546339:Rbfox3 protein, rat; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine
keywords: cell survival; dentate gyrus; detraining; hippocampus-dependent learning; memory