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Abstract
While it is well established that exercise can improve cognitive performance, it is
unclear how long these benefits endure after exercise has ended. Accordingly, the
effects of voluntary exercise on cognitive function and brain-derived neurotrophic
factor (BDNF) protein levels, a major player in the mechanisms governing the dynamics
of memory formation and storage, were assessed immediately after a 3-week running
period, or after a 1-week or 2-week delay following the exercise period. All exercised
mice showed improved performance on the radial arm water maze relative to sedentary
animals. Unexpectedly, fastest acquisition (fewest errors and shortest latency) occurred
in animals trained following a 1-week delay, while best memory performance in the
probe trial was observed in those trained immediately after the exercise period. Assessment
of the time course of hippocampal BDNF availability following exercise revealed significant
elevations of BDNF immediately after the exercise period (186% of sedentary levels)
and at 1 and 2 weeks after exercise ended, with levels returning to baseline by 3-4
weeks. BDNF protein levels showed a positive correlation with cognitive improvement
in radial water maze training and with memory performance on day 4, supporting the
idea that BDNF availability contributes to the time-dependent cognitive benefits of
exercise revealed in this study. Overall, this novel approach assessing the temporal
endurance of cognitive and biochemical effects of exercise unveils new concepts in
the exercise-learning field, and reveals that beneficial effects of exercise on brain
plasticity continue to evolve even after exercise has ended.
Published by Elsevier Ltd.