Effects of Exercise on Stroke recovery in C57BL/6 Mice
Submission Type
Event
Expected Graduation Date
2014
Location
Atrium, Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Start Date
4-20-2013 2:00 PM
End Date
4-20-2013 3:00 PM
Disciplines
Psychology
Abstract
Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. There is increasing interest in the understanding of basic mechanisms of stroke recovery through animal models. It has been demonstrated that exercise promotes neuroplasticity that results in improved learning in humans and animals. However, exercise also induces apoptosis due to the initial metabolic strain on the CNS. This study explores the use of an exercise supplemented regimen of skilled reaching to promote functional recovery following stroke in mice. Twenty-four mice received 19 days of pre-operative training on the pasta matrix reaching task. Beginning four days after stroke, mice were separated into four groups (control, exercise, skilled reaching, and exercise + skilled reaching) for three weeks. During this time both exercise and skilled learning were used as rehabilitative strategies. Functional recovery was assessed once weekly during rehabilitation. All post-stroke reaching function was compared to pre-operative levels.
Effects of Exercise on Stroke recovery in C57BL/6 Mice
Atrium, Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. There is increasing interest in the understanding of basic mechanisms of stroke recovery through animal models. It has been demonstrated that exercise promotes neuroplasticity that results in improved learning in humans and animals. However, exercise also induces apoptosis due to the initial metabolic strain on the CNS. This study explores the use of an exercise supplemented regimen of skilled reaching to promote functional recovery following stroke in mice. Twenty-four mice received 19 days of pre-operative training on the pasta matrix reaching task. Beginning four days after stroke, mice were separated into four groups (control, exercise, skilled reaching, and exercise + skilled reaching) for three weeks. During this time both exercise and skilled learning were used as rehabilitative strategies. Functional recovery was assessed once weekly during rehabilitation. All post-stroke reaching function was compared to pre-operative levels.