Physical exercise counteracts the increase in velocity of propagation of cortical spreading depression imposed by early over-nutrition in rats

Abstract

Objectives: This investigation studied whether physical exercise could modulate cortical spreading depression (CSD) propagation velocity in adult rat offspring from dams that had received a high-fat (HF) diet during lactation. Methods: Wistar male rats suckled by dams fed either control (C) or HF diet ad libitum. After weaning, pups received standard laboratory chow. From 40 to 60 days of life, half of the animals exercised on a treadmill (group E); the other half remained sedentary (group S). Two additional HF groups (E and S) received fluoxetine (F; 10 mg/kg/day, orogastrically) from 40 to 60 days of life (groups HF/EF and HF/F). Results: At 40 days of life, rats from the maternal HF diet presented higher weight, thoracic circumference, and Lee Index than C animals and remained heavier at 60 days of life. Physical exercise decreased abdominal circumference. HF diet increased CSD propagation velocity (mean ± SD; mm/min) in sedentaries (HF/S 3.47 ± 0.31 versus C/S 3.24 ± 0.26). Treadmill exercise decelerated CSD propagation in both groups C/E (2.94 ± 0.28) and HF/E (2.97 ± 0.40). Fluoxetine alone decreased CSD propagation (HF/F 2.88 ± 0.45) compared with HF/S group. The combination of fluoxetine + exercise under HF condition (2.98 ± 0.27) was similar to HF/E group. Discussion: Physical exercise is able to reduce CSD propagation velocity in rat adult brains even when they have suffered over-nourishing during lactation. The effects of exercise alone or fluoxetine alone on CSD were similar to the effects of fluoxetine + exercise, under the HF condition. Data reinforce malnutrition during lactation modifies cortical electrophysiology even when the HF condition no longer exists.

Keywords:

• Cortical spreading depression
• Physical exercise
• Hyperlipidic diet
• Brain development
• Fluoxetine
• Rat

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Brazilian agencies CAPES, CNPq, FACEPE, and PROPESQ/UFPE. The English text of this paper was revised by Sidney Pratt, Canadian, MAT (The Johns Hopkins University), RSAdip – TESL (Cambridge University).

Disclaimer statements

Contributors HMCM: execution of the experiments, data analysis, and writing of the manuscript; DCM and MSBS: help in the execution of the experiments; AAS: designing of the experiments, data analysis, and helps in the writing of the manuscript.

Conflicts of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethics approval All experimental procedures were previously approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee for Animal Research of our University (Approval protocol no. n° 23076.017493/2012-81), whose norms comply with those established by the National Institutes of Health Guide for Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Bethesda, MD, USA).

ORCID

Angela Amancio-dos-Santos http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7581-4090

Additional information

Funding

Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco (FACEPE), process no. n° APQ-0484- 2.07/15.