141 - Physiology of Hormetic Effects of Exercise on Cognitive Enhancement: Microbiota Involvement

Poster Board Number: 141
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Abstract Body : Physical exercise has well-known effects on the body and brain both at a physiological and behavioral level. Previous laboratory work showed that physical exercise has a positive effect on cognitive level of laboratory mice, measured by a better performance in hippocampal-dependent tests and an increase in different neurogenesis markers. Nevertheless, little is known about the mechanisms underlying the cognitive benefits mediated by exercise (in our case using a treadmill as a protocol of forced exercise).

To achieve this, we (i) maked a time course of these benefits and as these effects are dependent on the type of exercise, we (ii) developed different exercise protocols, with a moderate intensity group, and a stronger intensity group (either for the exercise duration or for running speed) to see the timing when these positive effects take place.

One of the most promising candidates mediating these mechanisms is the microbiota. Recent evidences have pointed out the relevance the gut brain axis as an important element involved in the exercise effects on cognition and on the intergenerational inheritance of its effects.
Exercise changes microbiota but there is no evidence of a direct relationship with cognitive improvement due to exercise. That is why the main objective of this work has been to correlate exercise-induced cognitive improvement with the microbiota abundance or diversity.
We also analyzed adult hippocampal neurogenesis, blood vascularity, astrocyte levels, and both learning-memory- and mood-related behaviors.