Effects of treadmill exercise on learning and memory functions in chronic alcoholism rats
Objective:To investigate the effects of treadmill exercise on learning and memory impairment in chronic alcoholism(CA)rats.Methods:Thirty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into group of control(n=8),CA model(n=10),low-intensity exercise+CA(L+CA,n=9)and high-intensity exercise+CA(H+CA,n=9).The CA model was established by intragastric administration of 30%alcohol(4 mL per day)for 8 weeks,and rats in the control group were injected with equal volume of saline.Alcohol withdrawal rating and body weight change were used to determine whether the model was established successfully.After that,the L+CA and H+CA groups were subjected to 100 m treadmill exercise at a speed of 10 and 20 m/min per day for 3 weeks respectively.The learning and memory functions in the rats in each group were then tested using Morris water maze(MWM)experiment that was repeated in 5 days.Results:① The withdrawal rating score of rats in the CA model group was higher than that of the control group(P<0.05),and the body weight was decreased significantly(P<0.01);② The MWM experiment showed that the escape latency of rats in the L+CA and the H+CA groups became shorter than that of the CA model group.Rats in the L+CA groups had longer residence time in the first quadrant than those in the control group(P<0.01)and the CA model group(P<0.05),while those in the H+CA group showed no significant difference.Conclusion:Treadmill exercise may improve the learning and memory functions in CA rats.
chronic alcoholismtreadmill exerciselearning and memory