title: Voluntary wheel-running attenuates insulin and weight gain and affects anxiety-like behaviors in C57BL6/J mice exposed to a high-fat diet.
abstract: It is widely accepted that lifestyle plays a crucial role on the quality of life in individuals, particularly in western societies where poor diet is correlated to alterations in behavior and the increased possibility of developing type-2 diabetes. While exercising is known to produce improvements to overall health, there is conflicting evidence on how much of an effect exercise has staving off the development of type-2 diabetes or counteracting the effects of diet on anxiety. Thus, this study investigated the effects of voluntary wheel-running access on the progression of diabetes-like symptoms and open field and light-dark box behaviors in C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat diet. C57BL/6J mice were placed into either running-wheel cages or cages without a running-wheel, given either regular chow or a high-fat diet, and their body mass, food consumption, glucose tolerance, insulin and c-peptide levels were measured. Mice were also exposed to the open field and light-dark box tests for anxiety-like behaviors. Access to a running-wheel partially attenuated the obesity and hyperinsulinemia associated with high-fat diet consumption in these mice, but did not affect glucose tolerance or c-peptide levels. Wheel-running strongly increased anxiety-like and decreased explorative-like behaviors in the open field and light-dark box, while high-fat diet consumption produced smaller increases in anxiety. These results suggest that voluntary wheel-running can assuage some, but not all, of the physiological problems associated with high-fat diet consumption, and can modify anxiety-like behaviors regardless of diet consumed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Bridgewater State University, 24 Park Ave., Bridgewater, MA 02325, USA.
authors.forename: Jasmin A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hicks
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Bridgewater State University, 24 Park Ave., Bridgewater, MA 02325, USA.
authors.forename: Aikaterini
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hatzidis
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Bridgewater State University, 24 Park Ave., Bridgewater, MA 02325, USA.
authors.forename: Nicole L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Arruda
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Bridgewater State University, 24 Park Ave., Bridgewater, MA 02325, USA.
authors.forename: Rachel R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Gelineau
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Bridgewater State University, 24 Park Ave., Bridgewater, MA 02325, USA.
authors.forename: Isabella Monteiro
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: De Pina
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Bridgewater State University, 24 Park Ave., Bridgewater, MA 02325, USA.
authors.forename: Kenneth W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Bridgewater State University, 24 Park Ave., Bridgewater, MA 02325, USA. Electronic address: jseggio@bridgew.edu.
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Seggio
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D002096:C-Peptide / Q000378:metabolism; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D059305:Diet, High-Fat / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000523:psychology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D012420:Running / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D014836:Volition; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D002096:C-Peptide; D007328:Insulin
keywords: Anxiety; Exercise; High-fat diet; Mouse; Type-2 diabetes; Wheel-running