Effects of different intensities levels of treadmill exercise on cognitive functions and BDNF levels in prefrontal cortex of morphine dependent rats

authors:

avatar Shahrbanoo Ghodrati-Jaldbakhan , avatar Masomeh Khalil Khalili , avatar Abbas Ali Vafaei , avatar Hossien Miladi-Gorji , avatar Ahmad Reza Bandegi , avatar Ali Rashidy-Pour , *

Koomesh: Vol.17, issue 3; 669-676
published online: May 28, 2016
article type: Research Article
received: January 02, 2016
accepted: March 08, 2016

how to cite: Ghodrati-Jaldbakhan S, Khalil Khalili M, Vafaei A A, Miladi-Gorji H, Bandegi A R, et al. Effects of different intensities levels of treadmill exercise on cognitive functions and BDNF levels in prefrontal cortex of morphine dependent rats. koomesh. 2016;17(3):e151215. 

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic morphine leads to cognitive function impairment in human and experimental animals. While physical activity helps to improve the cognitive impairment in morphine dependent male rats, these effects were not examined in females. In this study, we investigated the effects of different intensities levels of forced exercise (light, moderate, and severe) on learning and memory and prefrontal cortex (PFC) BDNF in the morphine-dependent rats. Materials and methods: Adult virgin female rats were injected with bi-daily doses (10 mg/kg, at 12 h intervals) of morphine over a period of 10 days. Following injections, rats were trained under three different loads (mild, moderate, and severe), each for 30 minutes per session, five days per week and for four weeks. After exercise training, object recognition memory and alternation behaviour in a T-maze were examined, followed by BDNF measurements in PFC. Results: Chronic morphine intake impaired the recognition memory in morphine dependent rats and this deficit was corrected by moderate and severe treadmill exercise. Chronic morphine did not impair the alternation behaviour, but moderate exercise improved this behaviour in both morphine dependent and control rats. Chronic morphine reduced BDNF levels in PFC which did not reversed by mild exercise. Moreover, both moderate and severe exercises reduced BDNF levels in PFC in both morphine and control animals. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that the effects of exercise on cognitive functions and BDNF levels in PFC depend on the type of cognitive behavior and intensity of exercise. On the other hand, the correlation between changes in brain BDNF and cognitive functions, especially in the morphine–treated animals seemed to be complex and warrant further investigation.

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