The Effects Of Voluntary Running Wheel On Depression In Rats And Its Molecular Mechanisms

Objective to constitute steady and effective animal model of depression and to investigate the effects of voluntary wheel running on depressive behaviours and spatial performance in rats and its molecular mechazimes.This study will give evidences for exercise as an effective and unespecial way for antidepressive.Moreover.our researches will contribute to further studies on the the molecular mechanises of the effect of exercise on depression and brain health.Methods Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Rats were first trained to consume a 1 % sucrose solution for 10 days. On the basis of their sucrose intakes in the final baseline test, Rats were divided into four groups, including Control (CON), Exercise (EXE), CMS, CMS/Exercise (CMS/E), and housed individually in standard polyethylene cages. Animals engaged in voluntary exercise had free access to a running wheel. They were allowed 1 week to adapt to the wheels. From week 2 on, stressed animals were subjected to a 4 - week CMS procedure. The CMS procedure concluded at the end of the 5th week, and then five animals per group were sacrificed on the subsequent day after CMS and two weeks after CMS,_respectively. blood were collected for CORT RIA assay and hippocampus were collected for the GR and BDNF mRNA RTPCR assay. For assessing the long- term effect of CMS on spatial performance, Surplus rats (eight for each experimental group) were used for the Morris water maze (MWM) test in the 8th week. Sucrose tests were performed once per week, and weighing and open field test (OFT) were performed once per two weeks during the CMS period and the recovery period.Results First,stressed animals consumed significantly less 1% sucrose solution,exhibited lower open field activity both crossing and rearing showed a...