TY - JOUR PY - 2015// TI - Exercise preconditioning improves traumatic brain injury outcomes JO - Brain research A1 - Taylor, Jordan M. A1 - Montgomery, Mitchell H. A1 - Gregory, Eugene J. A1 - Berman, Nancy E. J. SP - 414 EP - 429 VL - 1622 IS - N2 - PURPOSE: To determine whether 6 weeks of exercise performed prior to traumatic brain injury (TBI) could improve post-TBI behavioral outcomes in mice, and if exercise increases neuroprotective molecules (vascular endothelial growth factor-A [VEGF-A], erythropoietin [EPO], and heme oxygenase-1 [HO-1]) in brain regions responsible for movement (sensorimotor cortex) and memory (hippocampus).

METHODS: 120 mice were randomly assigned to one of four groups: 1) no exercise+no TBI (NOEX-NOTBI [n=30]), 2) no exercise+TBI (NOEX-TBI [n=30]), 3) exercise+no TBI (EX-NOTBI [n=30]), and 4) exercise+TBI (EX-TBI [n=30]). The gridwalk task and radial arm water maze were used to evaluate sensorimotor and cognitive function, respectively. Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction and immunostaining were performed to investigate VEGF-A, EPO, and HO-1 mRNA and protein expression in the right cerebral cortex and ipsilateral hippocampus.

RESULTS: EX-TBI mice displayed reduced post-TBI sensorimotor and cognitive deficits when compared to NOEX-TBI mice. EX-NOTBI and EX-TBI mice showed elevated VEGF-A and EPO mRNA in the cortex and hippocampus, and increased VEGF-A and EPO staining of sensorimotor cortex neurons 1 day post-TBI and/or post-exercise. EX-TBI mice also exhibited increased VEGF-A staining of hippocampal neurons 1 day post-TBI/post-exercise. NOEX-TBI mice demonstrated increased HO-1 mRNA in the cortex (3 days post-TBI) and hippocampus (3 and 7 days post-TBI), but HO-1 was not increased in mice that exercised.

CONCLUSIONS: Improved TBI outcomes following exercise preconditioning are associated with increased expression of specific neuroprotective genes and proteins (VEGF-A and EPO, but not HO-1) in the brain.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 0006-8993 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2015.07.009 ID - ref1 ER -