The Effects of Exercise Sequence on Learning and Memory
Mentor 1
Rodney Swain
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
28-4-2017 1:30 PM
End Date
28-4-2017 4:00 PM
Description
Aerobic exercise promotes enhanced learning and memory in both human and non-human animals. Structurally, exercise improves blood perfusion, vascularization, and neurogenesis in brain structures associated with learning and memory. Behaviorally, exercise facilitates acquisition and improves retention on a variety of learning tasks. Numerous studies have shown that an animal that exercises prior to learning a task exhibits faster learning and better recall of the task when compared to sedentary controls. However, it is not well-known what effect exercise has on learning and memory if exercise occurs after learning. Some studies have proposed that the sequence of exercise after learning a task impedes the recall of that task. However, this has only been shown in mice and dogs. The present study aims to examine what behavioral effects the sequencing of seven days of voluntary exercise has on acquisition and retention in rodents. Long Evans rats will be divided into two groups. The first group will be allowed seven days of access to a voluntary running wheel prior to training on an altered version of the Morris Water Maze (MWM). The second group will be trained on the M.W.M., given seven days of voluntary exercise, and then subjected to a probe test. It is hypothesized that animals that voluntarily exercise after learning will exhibit hindered recall of the M.W.M. compared to the sedentary controls and to those that exercised prior to learning. The outcomes of this study will allow us to better understand any potential downfalls that exercise may have on memory.
The Effects of Exercise Sequence on Learning and Memory
Union Wisconsin Room
Aerobic exercise promotes enhanced learning and memory in both human and non-human animals. Structurally, exercise improves blood perfusion, vascularization, and neurogenesis in brain structures associated with learning and memory. Behaviorally, exercise facilitates acquisition and improves retention on a variety of learning tasks. Numerous studies have shown that an animal that exercises prior to learning a task exhibits faster learning and better recall of the task when compared to sedentary controls. However, it is not well-known what effect exercise has on learning and memory if exercise occurs after learning. Some studies have proposed that the sequence of exercise after learning a task impedes the recall of that task. However, this has only been shown in mice and dogs. The present study aims to examine what behavioral effects the sequencing of seven days of voluntary exercise has on acquisition and retention in rodents. Long Evans rats will be divided into two groups. The first group will be allowed seven days of access to a voluntary running wheel prior to training on an altered version of the Morris Water Maze (MWM). The second group will be trained on the M.W.M., given seven days of voluntary exercise, and then subjected to a probe test. It is hypothesized that animals that voluntarily exercise after learning will exhibit hindered recall of the M.W.M. compared to the sedentary controls and to those that exercised prior to learning. The outcomes of this study will allow us to better understand any potential downfalls that exercise may have on memory.
