Exercise alleviating fear and anxiety in mice with post-traumatic stress disorder by promoting hippocampal neuroregeneration and dendritic development
10.16098/j.issn.0529-1356.2025.04.002
- VernacularTitle:运动促进海马神经再生与树突发育缓解创伤后应激障碍小鼠的恐惧与焦虑
- Author:
Chang SU
1
;
Zi-Xuan XU
;
Shuo JIN
;
Xiao-Xiao ZHANG
;
Chao XI
;
Li-Na SUN
Author Information
1. 北京师范大学体育与运动学院
- Keywords:
Post-traumatic stress disorder;
Exercise;
Hippocampal neurogenesis;
Dendritic development;
Neuroplasticity;
Immunofluorescence;
Mouse
- From:
Acta Anatomica Sinica
2025;56(4):389-397
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective To investigate the mechanism of hippocampal neuronal plasticity of newborn neurons in the hippocampus by which exercise improves the fear and anxiety symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD).Methods Totally 40 C57BL/6J male mice were randomly divided into by control group(Ctrl)and PTSD group,the PTSD group was divided into a no-exercise group(PTSD),a low-intensity exercise group(L)and a high-intensity exercise group(H).The PTSD model mice were constructed by combining conditioned plantar-foot shock(CF)and single-session sustained stress(SPS).After the exercise intervention,the fear and anxiety levels of the mice were assessed using the conditioned fear test and the elevated cross maze test;Subsequently,the densities of the newborn mature neurons in dentate gyrus(DG)of hippocampus were detected by immunofluorescent double-labelling staining,and the newborn neuron morphology was marked by injecting retrovirus pRetro-U6-EF1-EGFP-3xFLAG-WPRE in DG of hippocampus to observe its morphology.The morphology of the newborn neurons was labelled to observe their dendritic length and the number of branch points;Meanwhile,the concentration level of adiponctin(APN)in the hippocampal area was determined by ELISA.Results The result showed that both high and low-intensity exercise interventions significantly reduced the freezing time of PTSD mice in the conditioned fear test,and in the elevated cross maze experiment,the residence time and the number of entries in the open arm of the mice in the H group increased significantly compared with those in the PTSD group,while the residence time and the number of entries in the closed arm were significantly reduced.In addition,both high and low-intensity exercise interventions significantly increased the surface density and dendritic length of newborn mature neurons in the hippocampal DG region of PTSD mice,and high-intensity exercise significantly increased the number of dendritic branching points,and the density of newborn mature neurons in the H group was more significantly increased compared with that in the L group.At the same time,the hippocampal APN concentration increased significantly in both L and H groups compared with the PTSD group,and it was more significant in the H group.Conclusion Exercises have an ameliorative effect on anxiety and fear symptoms in PTSD mice,and at the same time,it can increase hippocampal neuroplasticity and adiponctin secretion in PTSD mice,suggesting that the improvement of fear and anxiety symptoms in PTSD by exercise may be related to the increase of hippocampal neuroplasticity and APN secretion,and the improvement effect is better with high-intensity exercise.
