Sustained running in rats administered corticosterone prevents the development of depressive behaviors and enhances hippocampal neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity without increasing neurotrophic factor levels.

Abstract excerpt

We have previously shown that voluntary running acts as an anxiolytic and ameliorates deficits in hippocampal neurogenesis and spatial learning. It also reduces depression-like behaviors that are normally observed in rats that were administered either low (30 mg/kg) or moderate (40 mg/kg) doses of corticosterone (CORT). However, the protective effects of running were absent in rats treated with a high (50 mg/kg)...

Topics

• Animals
• Anti-Inflammatory Agents
• Behavior, Animal
• Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
• Corticosterone
• Depressive Disorder
• Disks Large Homolog 4 Protein
• Hippocampus
• Insulin-Like Growth Factor I
• Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
• Male
• Membrane Proteins