PMID- 23499703 OWN - NLM STAT- MEDLINE DCOM- 20131021 LR - 20130506 IS - 1872-7549 (Electronic) IS - 0166-4328 (Linking) VI - 247 DP - 2013 Jun 15 TI - Forced and voluntary exercises equally improve spatial learning and memory and hippocampal BDNF levels. PG - 34-9 LID - S0166-4328(13)00140-X [pii] LID - 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.03.007 [doi] AB - Multiple evidence suggest the importance of exercise for cognitive and brain functions. Few studies however, compared the behavioral and neural adaptations to force versus voluntary exercise training. Therefore, spatial learning and memory formation and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were examined in Wister male rats after 6 weeks of either daily forced swimming, voluntary running exercises, or sedentary. Learning capabilities and short, 5-hour, and long term memories improved (p<0.05) similarly in the exercise groups, without changes (p>0.05) in the sedentary. Likewise, both exercises resulted in increased (p<0.05) hippocampal BDNF level. The results suggest that forced and voluntary exercises can similarly enhance cognitive- and brain-related tasks, seemingly vie the BDNF pathway. These data further confirm the health benefits of exercise and advocate both exercise modalities to enhance behavioral and neural functions. CI - Copyright (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. FAU - Alomari, Mahmoud A AU - Alomari MA AD - Division of Physical Therapy, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan. alomari@just.edu.jo FAU - Khabour, Omar F AU - Khabour OF FAU - Alzoubi, Karem H AU - Alzoubi KH FAU - Alzubi, Mohammad A AU - Alzubi MA LA - eng PT - Journal Article PT - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't DEP - 20130313 PL - Netherlands TA - Behav Brain Res JT - Behavioural brain research JID - 8004872 RN - 0 (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) SB - IM MH - Animals MH - Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/*metabolism MH - Hippocampus/*metabolism MH - Male MH - Maze Learning/*physiology MH - Memory/*physiology MH - Neuronal Plasticity/physiology MH - Physical Conditioning, Animal/*physiology MH - Rats MH - Rats, Wistar MH - Spatial Behavior/physiology EDAT- 2013/03/19 06:00 MHDA- 2013/10/22 06:00 CRDT- 2013/03/19 06:00 PHST- 2013/01/28 00:00 [received] PHST- 2013/03/01 00:00 [revised] PHST- 2013/03/05 00:00 [accepted] PHST- 2013/03/19 06:00 [entrez] PHST- 2013/03/19 06:00 [pubmed] PHST- 2013/10/22 06:00 [medline] AID - S0166-4328(13)00140-X [pii] AID - 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.03.007 [doi] PST - ppublish SO - Behav Brain Res. 2013 Jun 15;247:34-9. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.03.007. Epub 2013 Mar 13.