Chronic Diseases Prevention Review (Online ISSN: 2158-0820)

by  Luoyi Shi, Feng Gao, Bao Zhang, Fei Liu, Song Yuan, Xiaotian Gao

Chronic Diseases Prevention Review 2021 5(19)8-13; published online   1 September 2021

Abstract: Stroke induces mood impairments, about 30% of which are antidepressants-resistant. To investigate the evidence and related molecular mechanisms of physical exercise on post stroke depression (PSD) rats. Wistar rats after middle cerebral artery occlusion/ reperfusion and chronic unpredictable mild stress were randomly divided into Sham, PSD and physical exercise groups. The behavioral tests (sucrose preference test for depression, open field test for anxiety) were performed before and after intervention. We investigated regional changes in neurogenesis by Nissl staining, western blotting and immunohistochemical staining for BDNF, doublecortin (DCX) in the dentate gyrus (DG). The depression/anxiety-like behaviors and impaired hippocampal neurogenesis in the DG were found in PSD rats. Physical exercise intervention reversed both depression/anxiety-like behaviors, increase the expression of DCX, BDNF in the DG. Physical exercise could be a viable adjunctive strategy in combination with antidepressants as an effectively protective intervention for PSD rats, might via increasing neurogenesis in DG.