Research article - (2007)06, 429 - 433
Daily Running Promotes Spatial Learning and Memory in Rats
HojjatAllah Alaei1,, RohAllah Moloudi1, Ali Reza Sarkaki2, Hamid Azizi-Malekabadi3, Osmo Hanninen4
1Department of Physiology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran
2Physiology Research Centre, Ahwaz Jondishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran
3Department of Physiology, Khuraskan Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
4Institute of Biomedicine, Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland

HojjatAllah Alaei
✉ Department of Physiology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran
Email: alaei@med.mui.ac.ir
Received: 06-02-2006 -- Accepted: 03-07-2007
Published (online): 01-12-2007

ABSTRACT

Previous studies have shown that physical activity improves learning and memory. Present study was performed to determine the effects of acute, chronic and continuous exercise with different periods on spatial learning and memory recorded as the latency and length of swim path in the Morris water maze testing in subsequent 8 days. Four rat groups were included as follows: 1- Group C (controls which did not exercise). 2- Group A (30 days treadmill running before and 8 days during the Morris water maze testing period). 3- Group B (30 days exercise before the Morris water maze testing period only) and 4- Group D (8 days exercise only during the Morris water maze testing period). The results showed that chronic (30 days) and continuous (during 8 days of Morris water maze testing days) treadmill training produced a significant enhancement in spatial learning and memory which was indicated by decreases in path length and latency to reach the platform in the Morris water maze test (p < 0.05). The benefits in these tests were lost in three days, if the daily running session was abandoned. In group D with acute treadmill running (8 days exercise only) the difference between the Group A disappeared in one week and benefit seemed to be obtained in comparison with the controls without running program. In conclusion the chronic and daily running exercises promoted learning and memory in Morris water maze, but the benefits were lost in few days without daily running sessions in adult rats.

Key words: Exercise, spatial memory, hippocampus, Morris water maze

Key Points
  • Daily running influence on spatial memory.
  • The velocity of learning can be influenced by running activity.
  • Path length is important parameter for measuring the speed of learning.








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