Effect of regular swimming exercise to duration-intensity on neurocognitive function in cerebral infarction rat model

ABSTRACT

Objective: This study investigated the effect of regular swimming exercise according to the duration-intensity on neurocognitive function in a cerebral infarction rat model.

Methods: Forty male Sprague–Dawley 10-week-old rats, weighing 300 ± 50 g, were subjected to photothrombotic cerebral infarction. The remaining 36 rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 9 per group: non-exercise (group A); swimming exercise of short duration-intensity (5 min/day, group B); swimming exercise of moderate duration-intensity (10 min/day, group C); and swimming exercise of long duration-intensity (20 min/day, group D). Exercise was performed five times a week for 4 weeks, beginning the day after cerebral infarction. Neurocognitive function was evaluated with the Morris water maze test. Immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis examined brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) at 4 weeks postinfarction.

Results: At 4 weeks postinfarction, escape latency was found to be shorter in group C than in any of groups A, B, or D. Immunohistochemistry revealed the most significant immunoreactivity for BDNF and VEGF in group C. Western blot analysis demonstrated that BDNF and VEGF proteins were markedly expressed in group C.

Conclusions: Regular swimming exercise of moderate duration-intensity may be the most effective exercise protocol for the recovery of neurocognitive function in cerebral infarction rat model.

KEYWORDS:

• Cerebral infarction
• cognition
• swimming
• exercise intensity
• recovery

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (NRF-2011-0011768).”

Notes on contributors

Sam-Gyu Lee

Sam-Gyu Lee, MD, PhD, I am a Doctor certified by the Ministry of Health& Welfare, Republic of Korea, 1990. And I am a Specialist physician in the Physical & Rehabilitation Medicine at 1999 certified by the Korean Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine (KARM). And I received MD & PhD from Chonnam National University (CNU), Gwangju, at 2002 in Republic of Korea. I am currently working for Chonnam National University Medical School (CNUMS) & Hospital (CNUH) as a professor and researcher from 2002. From 2002 to 2008, I had been worked as the Chairperson of the Department of Physicial & Rehabilitation Medicine at CNUMS, the Director of the Center for Aging & Geriatrics at CNUMS, and the Director of the CardioCerebroVascular Rehabilitation Center at CNUH. I am a researcher for Brain neurorehabilitation and functional recovery. And I am currently working as one of the member of Board committee of the Korean Geriatric Society (KGS), the Korean Society of Brain NeuroRehabilitation (KSNR), and the Korean Academy of Geriatric Rehabilitation Medicine (KAGRM). And also, I am currently working as one of the member of the International Society of Physical & Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM), the World Federation for NeuroRehabilitation (WFNR), and the Asian-Oceanian Conference of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (AOCPRM).