Effect of Exercise Frequency and Increasing Intensity Exercise on Hippocampal Neurogenesis in Rats

Objective:To investigate effects of movement frequency and incremental exercise intensity on hippocampal neurogenesis in rats.Methods:Sixty male SD rats of 5-week-old were randomly divided into 6 groups:The sedentary control(C)group,the everyday exercise(E0)group,the every other day exercise(E1)group,the every three days exercise(E3)group,the every other week exercise(E7)group and the every other week increasing intensity exercise(E7I)group.All rats except C group were forced to run on treadmill.Immunofluorescence staining was used to evaluate the level of neurogenesis.Results:The number of BrdU positive cells in dentate gyrus of hippocampus was 37.62±9.02 in C group,46.01±10.82 in E0 group,49.06±12.07 in E1 group,41.20±11.02 in E3 group,37.23±16.45 in E7 group,53.97±10.67 in E7I group,respectively.Conclusions:Among all small intensity exercises which have different exercise frequency,the every other day exercise is most benefit of hippocampal neurogenesis in SD rats,the every other week increasing intensity exercise also is benefit of hippocampal neurogenesis in SD rats.