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. 2014 Mar;18(1):16-22.
doi: 10.5213/inj.2014.18.1.16. Epub 2014 Mar 31.

Treadmill exercise ameliorates short-term memory disturbance in scopolamine-induced amnesia rats

Yu-Mi Heo  1 , Mal-Soon Shin  1 , Jae-Min Lee  1 , Chang-Ju Kim  1 , Sang-Bin Baek  1 , Khae-Hawn Kim  2 , Seung-Soo Baek  3
Affiliations

Treadmill exercise ameliorates short-term memory disturbance in scopolamine-induced amnesia rats

Yu-Mi Heo et al. Int Neurourol J. 2014 Mar.

Abstract

Purpose: Scopolamine is a nonselective muscarinic cholinergic receptor antagonist, which induces impairment of learning ability and memory function. Exercise is known to ameliorate brain disturbance induced by brain injuries. In the present study, we investigated the effect of treadmill exercise on short-term memory in relation to acetylcholinesterase (AChE) expression in the hippocampus, using a scopolamine-induced amnesia model in mice.

Methods: To induce amnesia, 1 mg/kg scopolamine hydrobromide was administered intraperitoneally once per day for 14 days. A step-down avoidance test for short-term memory was conducted. AChE histochemistry, immunohistochemistry for collagen IV, and doublecortin were performed.

Results: Short-term memory deteriorated in the mice with scopolamine-induced amnesia, concomitant with enhanced AChE expression and suppression of angiogenesis in the hippocampus. Critically, treadmill exercise ameliorated short-term memory impairment, suppressed AChE expression, and enhanced angiogenesis in the mice with scopolamine-induced amnesia.

Conclusions: Overexpression of AChE is implicated in both brain and renal disease. The findings of our study indicate that treadmill exercise may be of therapeutic value in neurodegenerative and renal diseases by suppressing the effects of AChE expression.

Keywords: Acetylcholinesterase; Amnesia; Exercise test; Short-term memory.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The effect of treadmill exercise on short-term memory. (A) Control group, (B) control and exercise group, (C) scopolamine-induced amnesia group, and (D) scopolamine-induced amnesia and exercise group. The data are presented as the mean±standard error of the mean. a)P<0.05 compared to the control group. b)P<0.05 compared to the scopolamine-induced amnesia group.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The effect of treadmill exercise on the perimeters of cerebral blood vessels. (A) Control group, (B) control and exercise group, (C) scopolamine-induced amnesia group, and (D) scopolamine-induced amnesia and exercise group. (A-D) Acetylcholinesterase histochemistry was performed. The scale bar represents 100 µm. The data are presented as the mean±standard error of the mean. a)P<0.05 compared to the control group. b)P<0.05 compared to the scopolamine-induced amnesia group.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The effect of treadmill exercise on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) expression. (A) Control group, (B) control and exercise group, (C) scopolamine-induced amnesia group, and (D) scopolamine-induced amnesia and exercise group. (A-D) Collagen IV histochemistry was performed. The scale bar represents 200 µm. The data are presented as the mean±standard error of the mean. a)P<0.05 compared to the control group. b)P<0.05 compared to the scopolamine-induced amnesia group.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
The effect of treadmill exercise on doublecortin (DCX) expression in the hippocampal dentate gyrus. (A) Control group, (B) control exercise group, (C) scopolamine-induced amnesia group, and (D) scopolamine-induced amnesia and exercise group. (A-D) Doublecortin histochemistry was performed. The scale bar represents 200 µm. The data are presented as the mean±standard error of the mean. a)P<0.05 compared to the control group. b)P<0.05 compared to the scopolamine-induced amnesia group.
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