Effects of exercise on hippocampal plasticity

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Physical fitness is critical for a healthy lifestyle. In addition to the well-documented cardiovascular benefits, exercise can maintain brain structure and promote regeneration during the aging process. These structural adaptations in the brain can contribute to better cognitive functions, such as learning and memory.**To date, exercise is recognized to significantly increase the proliferation and development of newborn neurons in a specific part of the brain, the hippocampus. These new neurons can be involved in learning and memory. In contrast, the impact of exercise-induced plasticity in the aging brain on cellular components in contact with newborn neurons (i.e. cholinergic axons and blood vessels) in the hippocampus remains largely unknown. A main challenge in studying this type of structural organization and its response to exercise in the brain is the difficulty to image cells present in the brain in 3-dimensions. **The current project will evaluate the effects of exercise in the aging brain on the morphology of, and interactions between, cholinergic processes (i.e. axons), newborn cells and blood vessels in the hippocampus. To do this, we will use novel methods that allow the visualization of specific cellular components at high resolution and in 3D in situ. At the functional level, the performance of the animals will be evaluated using motor, learning and memory tests. We will also address a possible correlation between structural and functional changes in response to aging and exercise.**In collaboration with Dr. Stefanovic and Dr. McLaurin, our research team is in a unique position to bring further knowledge to the modulation of hippocampal morphology and function.