A1 Journal article (refereed)
Genotype determining aerobic exercise capacity associates with behavioral plasticity in middle-aged rats (2023)

Mäkinen, E., Wikgren, J., Pekkala, S., Koch, L. G., Britton, S. L., Nokia, M. S., & Lensu, S. (2023). Genotype determining aerobic exercise capacity associates with behavioral plasticity in middle-aged rats. Behavioural Brain Research, 443, Article 114331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114331

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Mäkinen, Elina; Wikgren, Jan; Pekkala, Satu; Koch, Lauren G.; Britton, Steven L.; Nokia, Miriam S.; Lensu, Sanna

Journal or series: Behavioural Brain Research

ISSN: 0166-4328

eISSN: 1872-7549

Publication year: 2023

Publication date: 10/02/2023

Volume: 443

Article number: 114331

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Publication country: Netherlands

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114331

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/85656

Abstract

Good aerobic fitness associates positively with cognitive performance and brain health and conversely, low aerobic fitness predisposes to neurodegenerative diseases. To study how genotype together with exercise, started at older age, affects brain and behavior, we utilized rats that differ in inherited aerobic fitness. Rats bred for Low Capacity for Running (LCR) are shown to display less synaptic plasticity and more inflammation in the hippocampus and perform worse than rats bred for a High Capacity for Running (HCR) in tasks requiring flexible cognition. Here we used middle-aged (∼ 16 months) HCR and LCR rats to study how genotype and sex associate with anxiety and neural information filtering, termed sensory gating. Further, we assessed how inherited aerobic capacity associates with hippocampus-dependent learning, measured with contextual fear conditioning task. In females, we also investigated the effects of voluntary wheel running (5 weeks) on these characteristics. Our results indicate that independent of sex or voluntary running, HCR rats were more anxious in open-field tasks, exhibited lower sensory gating and learned more efficiently in contextual fear conditioning task than LCR rats. Voluntary running did not markedly affect innate behavior but slightly decreased the differences between female LCR and HCR rats in fear learning. In conclusion, inherited fitness seems to determine cognitive and behavioral traits independent of sex. Although the traits proved to be rather resistant to change at adult age, learning was slightly improved following exercise in LCR females, prone to obesity and poor fitness.

Keywords: genotype; physical activity; aerobic capacity; cognition; anxiety; memory (cognition); behaviour; animal disease models

Free keywords: fear conditioning; open field; pre-pulse inhibition; running capacity; learning; exercise; anxiety; memory

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Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2023

Preliminary JUFO rating: 1