Treadmill Exercise Reshapes Cortical Astrocytic and Neuronal Activity to Improve Motor Learning Deficits Under Chronic Alcohol Exposure
Linglin Liu1 · Lanzhi Luo1 · Ji‑an Wei1 · Xintong Xu2 · Kwok‑Fai So1,3,4,5,6 · Li Zhang1,4,5,61 Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
2 College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
3 State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong SAR, China
4 Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation Institute, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao 266113, China
5 Center for Exercise and Brain Science, School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai 200438, China
6 The First Afliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, China
Abstract
Alcohol abuse induces various neurological disorders including motor learning deficits, possibly by affecting neuronal and astrocytic activity. Physical exercise is one effective approach to remediate synaptic loss and motor deficits as shown by our previous works. In this study, we unrevealed the role of exercise training in the recovery of cortical neuronal and astrocytic functions. Using a chronic alcohol injection mouse model, we found the hyperreactivity of astrocytes along with dendritic spine loss plus lower neuronal activity in the primary motor cortex. Persistent treadmill exercise training, on the other hand, improved neural spine formation and inhibited reactive astrocytes, alleviating motor learning deficits induced by alcohol exposure. These data collectively support the potency of endurance exercise in the rehabilitation of motor functions under alcohol abuse.
Keywords
Alcohol abuse; Motor learning; Dendritic spine; Reactive astrocyte
