Beneficial effects of environmental enrichment on structural and genomic brain plasticity are abolished by forced physical exercise

Raafat Fares (1) , Marion Moreau (1) , Pascal E Sanchez (1) , Béatrice Georges (1) , Colette Moulin (1) , Chantal Bonnet (1) , Anne Morales (1) , Laurent Bezin (1)

1 PICM - Physiologie intégrative, cellulaire et moléculaire

The aim of the study was to determine whether the effect of forced physical training from weaning to adulthood is the same between rats raised either in impoverished or enriched environments. For environmental enrichment, we have engineered a cage allowing standardization of the procedures of enrichment (under patent examination). This cage allows increased social interactions (12 rats per cage), increased voluntary exercise (increased size of the cage, running wheels), "diverting" activities (ladder, toboggan slide, tunnel), and cognitive stimulations using labyrinths, the configuration of which is changed 3 times a week. The forced physical training consists of a daily swimming program, the time spent in the swimming pool being increased from 5 min the first week to 45 min the fifth week. S rats were housed in groups of 6 from weaning to adulthood. Four groups are examined: standard housing (S), enriched housing (En), S + forced swimming (SFS) and EN + forced swimming (EnFS).

Domaines: Autre [q-bio.OT]

Raafat Fares, Marion Moreau, Pascal E Sanchez, Béatrice Georges, Colette Moulin, et al.. Beneficial effects of environmental enrichment on structural and genomic brain plasticity are abolished by forced physical exercise. 2009. ⟨hal-00145358⟩