Exercise increases neurogenesis around the damaged area after traumatic brain injury

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Wistar rats received traumatic brain injury (TBI) and were randomly divided into two groups: 1) non-exercise group and 2) exercise group. The exercise group ran on a treadmill for 30 min/day at 22 m/min for 7 consecutive days. Immunohistochemistry was used to monitor neural stem cell (NSC) proliferation around the damaged area and ex vivo techniques were used to isolate NSCs from the damaged region in both groups. The number of nestin as a maker of NSC- and Ki67 as a marker of proliferation cell-positive cells observed at 3 and 7 days after TBI was significantly greater in the exercise group than in the non-exercise group (P<0.01). Furthermore, most nestin-positive cells in the exercise group co-localized with Ki67-positive cells. In ex vivo studies, spheres could be isolated from injured brain tissue from the exercise group at 3 and 7 days following TBI, but at only 3 days in the non-exercise group. The number of spheres isolated from injured brain tissue was greater in the exercise group than in the non-exercise group. Spheres were immunopositive for nestin and comprised of NSCs that could differentiate into neurons and glia. Exercise increases the proliferation of NSCs around the damaged area following TBI. Therefore, exercise therapy (rehabilitation) in the early phase following TBI is important for recuperation from cerebral dysfunction induced by TBI.