The effect of exercise on reelin level in the hippocampus of diabetic rats.

Abstract

Diabetes is one of the most common diseases which can attenuate brain function by destroying hippocampus neurons, while reelin is a largely secreted extracellular matrix glycoprotein in the hippocampus causing synaptic plasticity, promoting postsynaptic structures and maturing neurons. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of exercise, as an external factor for neurogenesis in the brain, on reelin levels and memory improvement in diabetic rats. Thirty rats were randomly allocated into three groups; healthy sedentary, diabetic sedentary and diabetic exercise-trained. The experimental group was treadmill-exercised at speed 22 m/min for 1hour, 5 days per week. Finally, spatial memory of rats was tested and reelin levels were measured. The results showed that short-term exercise improved spatial memory in diabetic rats but had no effect on reelin levels in the hippocampus of diabetic rats. Diabetes reduced the spatial memory without altering the reelin levels while exercise improved spatial memory without altering the reelin levels (Fig. 4, Ref. 33).