The effects of light intensity on the voluntary exercise level of rats in an enriched environment

VernacularTitle:不同的光线强度对丰富环境下大鼠运动水平的影响
Author: Hongyu XIE ; Yi WU ; Gang LIU ; Jie JIA ; Qi ZHANG ; Kewei YU
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: Enriched environments; Exercise; Path tracking; Light intensity
From: Chinese Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2012;34(5):330-333
CountryChina
Language:Chinese
Abstract: Objective To study the effects of light at different intensities and an enriched environment (EE) on rats' level of voluntary exercise,and to explore the resulting benefits.Methods Thirty male SpragueDawley rats were tested successively under 4 different experimental conditions:EE + strong light,EE + dim light,open-field environment (OFE)+ strong light and OFE + dim light.Each rat's path in the different conditions was recorded using an automated tracking system.Distance moved (m),velocity (m/s),mobile duration (s),mobile frequency,moving duration (s) and moving frequency were recorded over a one-hour period. ResultsThe EE rats were significantly more active than the OFE rats in both strong and dim light.All rats were more mobile under dim light than under strong light.Conclusion Environment and light intensity are independent factors affecting rats' voluntary exercise levels,and they can exert their influence in synergy.