Abstract
Although physical exercise is an effective strategy for treatment of ischemic stroke, the underlying protective mechanisms are still not well understood. It has been recently demonstrated that neural progenitor cells play a vital role in the recovery of neurological function (NF) through differentiation into mature neurons. In the current study, we observed that physical exercise significantly reduced the infarct size and improved damaged neural functional recovery after an ischemic stroke. Furthermore, we found that the treatment not only exhibited a significant increase in the number of neural progenitor cells and neurons but also decreased the apoptotic cells in the peri-infarct region, compared to a control in the absence of exercise. Importantly, the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1)/Akt signaling pathway was dramatically activated in the peri-infarct region of rats after physical exercise training. Therefore, our findings suggest that physical exercise directly influences the NF recovery process by increasing neural progenitor cell count via activation of the IGF-1/Akt signaling pathway.
Highlights
Ischemic stroke, one of the most serious neurological disorders, causes permanent impairment in patients, affecting their motor and cognitive-communication abilities and can lead to learning and memory deficits [1,2]
The present study focuses on the promotion of neurogenesis and neural progenitor cell count, attenuation of apoptosis and the impact of exercise treatment on the activation of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1)/Akt signaling in order to further investigate the physical exercise related protective mechanism and its effect on neural-injury induced by ischemic stroke
In order to explore the mechanism of physical exercise on neuron-protection, the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) assay was established
Summary
One of the most serious neurological disorders, causes permanent impairment in patients, affecting their motor and cognitive-communication abilities and can lead to learning and memory deficits [1,2]. Recent rodent studies have indicated that physical exercise acts as an effective rehabilitation program for treatment of ischemic stroke [5,6] by promoting the recovery of the sensory-motor function and preventing deterioration in cognitive ability [7]. Multiple growth factors, such as insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), have been reported to provide beneficial effects on functional recovery in cerebral ischemia [9,10]. A study by De Smedt and co-workers found that the serum levels of IGF-I in patients with ischemic stroke showed a significant correlation with functional recovery [11].
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