• Takahiro Inoue, Misato Okamura, Mika Kitahara, Yasuyuki Takamatsu, Harutoshi Sakakima, and Hiroshi Maejima.
• Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita 12 Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, 5-3-1 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0083, Japan.
• Neuroscience. 2020 Mar 15; 430: 12-24.

AbstractThe objective of this study was to examine the interactive effects of exercise and low-level inhibition of GABAA receptors on the recovery of motor function and BDNF expression in the primary motor cortex (M1) of a stroke rat model. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into five groups: sham (SHAM), control (CON), exercise (EX), bicuculline (BIC), and bicuculline plus exercise (BICEX) groups. All rats, except those in the SHAM group, underwent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) surgery to induce an ischemic stroke. GABAA receptor antagonist, bicuculline (0.25 mg/kg, i.p.), was administered to the BIC and BICEX groups. The EX and BICEX groups exercised on a treadmill (11 m/min for 30 min). Each intervention started 3 days after the MCAO surgery and was carried out every day for 2 weeks. Following the intervention, bilateral M1 BDNF mRNA and protein expression levels were assessed using qRT-PCR and ELISA. Marginal recovery was found in the EX and BIC groups, whereas motor function recovery was enhanced with exercise in the presence of BIC administration specifically in the BICEX group. Furthermore, BDNF protein level in the ipsilateral M1 was significantly higher in the BICEX group than in other groups. This study indicated that exercise combined with low-level inhibition of GABAA receptors after stroke could facilitate the recovery of motor function accompanied by BDNF upregulation in the ipsilateral M1. Therefore, this study provides a novel insight of pharmacological neuromodulation into stroke rehabilitation.Copyright © 2020 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

23 keywords...

hide…