title: Can physical exercise have a protective effect in an animal model of sleep-related movement disorder?
abstract: The purpose of the present study was to determine whether physical exercise (PE) has a protective effect in an experimental animal model of sleep-related movement disorder (A11 dopaminergic nuclei lesions with 6-OHDA). Rats were divided into four groups (Control PE-CTRL/PE, SHAM/PE, A11 lesion/NPE, A11 lesion/PE). Two experiments were performed: (1) the rats underwent PE before (2 weeks) and after (4 weeks) the A11 lesion; and (2) the rats underwent PE only after (4 weeks) the A11 lesion. Electrode insertion surgery was performed and sleep analyses were conducted over a period of 24h (baseline and after PE) and analyzed in 6 blocks of 4h. The results demonstrated that the A11 lesion produced an increased percentage of wakefulness in the final block of the dark period (3-7am) and a significant enhancement of the number of limb movements (LM) throughout the day. Four weeks of PE was important for reducing the number of LMs in the A11 lesion group in the rats that performed PE before and after the A11 lesion. However, in the analysis of the protective effect of PE on LM, the results showed that the number of LMs was lower at baseline in the group that had performed 2 weeks of PE prior to the A11 lesion than in the group that had not previously performed PE. In conclusion, these findings consistently demonstrate that non-pharmacological manipulations had a beneficial effect on the symptoms of sleep-related movement disorder.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Ciências Aplicadas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil. Electronic address: andrea.esteves@fca.unicamp.br.
authors.forename: Andrea M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Esteves
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cleide
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Ciências Aplicadas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Miriam K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ricardo M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Arida
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Frussa-Filho
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tufik
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Esportes, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marco Túlio
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: de Mello
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000069280:Electrocorticography; D004576:Electromyography; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005121:Extremities / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016627:Oxidopamine; D017440:Photoperiod; D017286:Polysomnography; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D016627:Oxidopamine
keywords: Limb movement; Physical exercise; Restless legs syndrome; Sleep disorders