The Protective Effect of Interval and Continuous Exercise Training on Corticosterone, Weight Gain and Behavioral Despair in Rats Following a Period of Chronic Unpredictable Stress

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Ayyub Babaei 1
Maryam Nourshahi 2
Seyed Behnamedin Jameie 3
Rana Fayaz Milani 4
Abbas Haghparast 5
1 PhD Student of Exercise Physiology, Shahid Beheshti University
2 Associate Professor of Exercise Physiology, Shahid Beheshti University
3 Professor, Neuroscience Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences
4 Assistant Professor of Exercise Physiology, Shahid Beheshti University
5 Professor, Neuroscience Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences
10.22089/spj.2018.5068.1680
Abstract
Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders. Probably doing exercise training before coping with stressful situations can affect the symptoms of depression. Due to a variety of exercise training methods, the present study aimed at investigating the protective effect of continuous and high intensity interval training on corticosterone, weight gain and behavioral despair in rats following a period of chronic unpredictable stress. For this purpose, 27 adult male Wistar rats (9 weeks, 200±20 g) were divided into continuous training, interval training, and sedentary group. The exercise training was progressive and included running on treadmill for five days per week within six weeks. Interval training was consisted of two to six two-minute periods with speed of 38 to 42 m/min and continuous training was 22 to 42 minutes with speed of 23 to 27 m/min. After the training period, the rats were exposed to stress for three weeks. Finally, forced swim test was performed and the plasma corticosterone level was measured. The weight of rats was measured every week. The results indicated that the continuous exercise training group had lower corticosterone and less immobility in forced swim than the control group. The rats of all three groups had significantly less weight gain during the stress period than the training period. In general, the continuous exercise had an acceptable protective effect on corticosterone secretion and despair. However, none of the exercise trainings could affect the improvement of weight gain.
Keywords
Forced Swim
Immobility
Depression
Intensive Exercise Training
Stress

Main Subjects

  1. Krishnan V, Nestler EJ. The molecular neurobiology of depression. Nature. 2008;455(7215):894-902.
  2. Nestler EJ, Barrot M, DiLeone RJ, Eisch AJ, Gold SJ, Monteggia LM. Neurobiology of depression. Neuron. 2002;34(1):13-25.
  3. Nemeroff CB. The neurobiology of depression; 1998:278:42-9.
  4. Chen MJ. The neurobiology of depression and physical exercise; 2013.Routledge Handbook of Physical Activity and Mental Health. London: Routledge
  5. Chang C-H, Grace AA. Amygdala-ventral pallidum pathway decreases dopamine activity after chronic mild stress in rats. Biological psychiatry. 2014;76(3):223-30.
  6. Segev A, Rubin AS, Abush H, Richter-Levin G, Akirav I. Cannabinoid receptor activation prevents the effects of chronic mild stress on emotional learning and LTP in a rat model of depression. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2014;39(4):919-33.
  7. Li Y-C, Shen J-D, Li J, Wang R, Jiao S, Yi L-T. Chronic treatment with baicalin prevents the chronic mild stress-induced depressive-like behavior: involving the inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 in rat brain. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry. 2013;40:138-43.
  8. Liu B, Xu C, Wu X, Liu F, Du Y, Sun J, et al. Icariin exerts an antidepressant effect in an unpredictable chronic mild stress model of depression in rats and is associated with the regulation of hippocampal neuroinflammation. Neuroscience. 2015;294:193-205.
  9. Zheng H, Liu Y, Li W, Yang B, Chen D, Wang X, et al. Beneficial effects of exercise and its molecular mechanisms on depression in rats. Behavioural brain research. 2006;168(1):47-55.
  10. Lawlor DA, Hopker SW. The effectiveness of exercise as an intervention in the management of depression: systematic review and meta-regression analysis of randomised controlled trials. Bmj. 2001;322(7289):763.
  11. Rethorst CD, Wipfli BM, Landers DM. The antidepressive effects of exercise. Sports medicine. 2009;39(6):491-511.
  12. Jedrziewski MK, Ewbank DC, Wang H, Trojanowski JQ. Exercise and cognition: results from the national long term care survey. Alzheimer's & dementia. 2010;6(6):448-55.
  13. Tomporowski PD. Exercise and Cognition. Pediatric exercise science. 2016;28(1):23-7.
  14. Van Praag H. Neurogenesis and exercise: past and future directions. Neuromolecular medicine. 2008;10(2):128-40.
  15. Martinsen E, Strand J, Paulsson G, Kaggestad J. Physical fitness level in patients with anxiety and depressive disorders. International journal of sports medicine. 1989;10(01):58-61.
  16. Martinsen EW. Physical activity in the prevention and treatment of anxiety and depression. Nordic journal of psychiatry. 2008;62(sup47):25-9.
  17. Shen Y, Huang G, McCormick BP, Song T, Xu X. Effects of high-intensity interval versus mild-intensity endurance training on metabolic phenotype and corticosterone response in rats fed a high-fat or control diet. PloS one. 2017;7(12):e0181684.
  18. Afzalpour ME, Chadorneshin HT, Foadoddini M, Eivari HA. Comparing interval and continuous exercise training regimens on neurotrophic factors in rat brain. Physiology & behavior. 2015;147:78-83.
  19. Ghodrati-Jaldbakhan S, Ahmadalipour A, Rashidy-Pour A, Vafaei AA, Miladi-Gorji H, Alizadeh M. Low-and high-intensity treadmill exercise attenuates chronic morphine-induced anxiogenesis and memory impairment but not reductions in hippocampal BDNF in female rats. Brain Research. 2017;1663:20-8.
  20. Shepherd R, Gollnick P. Oxygen uptake of rats at different work intensities. Pflügers Archiv European Journal of Physiology. 1976;362(3):219-22.
  21. Pochwat B, Szewczyk B, Sowa-Kucma M, Siwek A, Doboszewska U, Piekoszewski W, et al. Antidepressant-like activity of magnesium in the chronic mild stress model in rats: alterations in the NMDA receptor subunits. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology. 2014;17(3):393-405.
  22. Pariante CM, Lightman SL. The HPA axis in major depression: classical theories and new developments. Trends in neurosciences. 2008;31(9):464-8.
  23. Mello AdAFd, Mello MFd, Carpenter LL, Price LH. Update on stress and depression: the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria;25(4):208-231.
  24. Glannon W. The psychology and physiology of depression. Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology. 2002;9(3):265-9.
  25. Jiang P, Dang R-L, Li H-D, Zhang L-H, Zhu W-Y, Xue Y, et al. The impacts of swimming exercise on hippocampal expression of neurotrophic factors in rats exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2014:729827. doi: 10.1155/2014/729827
  26. Molteni R, Rossetti AC, Savino E, Racagni G, Calabrese F. Chronic mild stress modulates activity-dependent transcription of BDNF in rat hippocampal slices. Neural plasticity. 2016; 1–11. doi:10.1155/2016/2592319.
  27. Alario P, Gamallo A, Beato M, Trancho G. Body weight gain, food intake and adrenal development in chronic noise stressed rats. Physiology & behavior. 1987;40(1):29-32.
  28. Santos J, Benjamin M, Yang P-C, Prior T, Perdue MH. Chronic stress impairs rat growth and jejunal epithelial barrier function: role of mast cells. American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology. 2000;278(6):G847-G54.
  29. Martí O, Martí J, Armario A. Effects of chronic stress on food intake in rats: influence of stressor intensity and duration of daily exposure. Physiology & behavior. 1994;55(4):747-53.
  30. Arase K, York D, Shimizu H, Shargill N, Bray G. Effects of corticotropin-releasing factor on food intake and brown adipose tissue thermogenesis in rats. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology And Metabolism. 1988;255(3):E255-E9.
  31. Dinas P, Koutedakis Y, Flouris A. Effects of exercise and physical activity on depression. Irish journal of medical science. 2011;180(2):319-25.
  32. Fichna J, Janecka A, Costentin J, Do Rego J-C. The endomorphin system and its evolving neurophysiological role. Pharmacological Reviews. 2007;59(1):88-123.
  33. Dishman RK, O'Connor PJ. Lessons in exercise neurobiology: The case of endorphins. Mental Health and Physical Activity. 2009;2(1):4-9.
Sport Physiology
Volume 10, Issue 39
Fall 2018
November 2019
Pages 75-86

  • Receive Date 17 November 2017
  • Revise Date 12 June 2018
  • Accept Date 12 June 2018