In Search of a Dose: The Functional and Molecular Effects of Exercise on Post-stroke Rehabilitation in Rats
Abstract
Although physical exercise has been demonstrated to augment recovery of the post-stroke brain, the question of what level of exercise intensity optimizes neurological outcomes of post-stroke rehabilitation remains unsettled. In this study, we aim to clarify the mechanisms underlying the intensity-dependent effect of exercise on neurologic function, and thereby to help direct the clinical application of exercise-based neurorehabilitation. To do this, we used a well-established rat model of ischemic stroke consisting of cerebral ischemia induction through middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Ischemic rats were subsequently assigned either to a control group entailing post-stroke rest or to one of two exercise groups distinguished by the intensity of their accompanying treadmill regimens. After 24 h of reperfusion, exercise was initiated. Infarct volume, apoptotic cell death, and neurological defects were quantified in all groups at 3 days, and motor and cognitive functions were tracked up to day-28. Additionally, Western blotting was used to assess the influence of our interventions on several proteins related to synaptogenesis and neuroplasticity (growth-associated protein 43, a microtubule-associated protein, postsynaptic d...Continue Reading
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