Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the impact of brain neuroplasticity-related factors’ mRNA expression patterns in the hippocampus and cognitive function in ovariectomized rats following resistance exercise. Twenty-week-old female SD rats (n=30) were randomly divided into normal control (NC, n=10), ovariectomy (OVX, n=10), and ovariectomy + resistance exercise (OVX+REX, n=10) groups. A ladder-climbing exercise, in which rats climbed to the top of ladder with a weight applied to their tails 8 times a day, 3 days a week for 12 weeks, was used for resistance training. After 12 weeks, rats from the OVX group had higher body weights and were significantly lower in the OVX-REX group than in the OVX group. The mRNA expression levels of the brain neuroplasticity-related genes, BDNF, IGF-1 and VEGF were significantly decreased by ovariectomy. However, they were significantly increased in the OVX+REX group compared to that in the OVX group. In addition, the learning and memory function of rats in the OVX group was significantly improved by resistance exercise. These results suggest that resistance exercise contributing to improved learning and memory function may be in part due to increased mRNA expression of brain neuroplasticity-related factors in ovariectomized rats.
Figures & Tables
Fig. 1. Changes in the body weight of rats during 12 weeks of resistance exercise. NC; normal group, OVX; ovariectomized group, OVX-REX; ovariectomized resistance exercise group. The data was expressed as the mean ± SD. * Significantly different from NC (<0.05). # Significantly different from OVX (<0.05)
