Study of morphophysiological changes in the brain of rats submitted to a physical exercise program throughout life and during aging

Abstract

An increasing number of studies have indicated regular physical activity as a cost-effective and promising strategy for promoting brain health throughout life. Despite the current knowledge of the beneficial effects of physical exercise on the brain, many issues still need to be addressed, such as its neuroprotective effects on aging. Prospective studies demonstrate that regular exercise exerts a protective effect against the development of cognitive deficit, Alzheimer's Disease, and dementia. The mechanisms for this protective effect appear to be complex and uncertain, including increased blood volume and capillarization, reduced beta-amyloid plaques and levels of hyperphosphorylated tau proteins, modulation of the cholinergic system, and regulation of neurotrophic factors. Although several of the mechanisms described above are known, the literature lacks a more defined approach about the physical exercise applied, such as aerobic physical exercise throughout life until aging or the influence of other types of physical exercise, such as resistance or strength exercise. in the elderly.To elucidate several of these questions, this research project aims to investigate the influence of physical training from three approaches: (1) the impact of physical exercise performed from early adulthood to aging on functional and morphological changes in the brain in mice; (2) the impact of physical exercise performed on elderly animals and (3) the impact of resistance exercise (strength) on female transgenic mice for AD (APPswe/PS1dE9 model) in the early (between 6 and 8 months) and late phase of the disease (between 22 and 24 months). The first and second parts of this project include a 3D stereological study of vascular, neuronal and glial brain structural changes induced by physical exercise in elderly animals. The third part includes the analysis of beta-amyloid plaques, pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the cortex and hippocampus and cortical electrical activity through electroencephalographic recording. The results of this study may help to show how physical exercise positively influences brain resilience, as well as reducing the deleterious effects caused by aging. (AU)