Whole body vibration ameliorates anxiety-like behavior and memory functions in 30 months old senescent male rats
Tamás Oroszi,
Klára Felszeghy,
Paul G.M. Luiten,
Regien G. Schoemaker,
Eddy A. van der Zee,
Csaba Nyakas
Affiliations
Tamás Oroszi
Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands; Research Center for Molecular Exercise Science, Hungarian University of Sports Science, Budapest, Hungary; Corresponding author. Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Klára Felszeghy
Research Center for Molecular Exercise Science, Hungarian University of Sports Science, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Morphology and Physiology, Health Science Faculty, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
Paul G.M. Luiten
Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
Regien G. Schoemaker
Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
Eddy A. van der Zee
Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
Csaba Nyakas
Research Center for Molecular Exercise Science, Hungarian University of Sports Science, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Morphology and Physiology, Health Science Faculty, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
Whole body vibration (WBV) is a form of passive exercise that offers an alternative physical training to aged individuals with limitations in their physical and mental capabilities. The aim of the present study was to explore the therapeutic potential of five weeks of WBV on anxiety-like behaviors as well as learning and memory abilities in senescent thirty months old rats. Animals were exposed to 5 min vibration twice per day, five times per week during the five consecutive weeks. Pseudo WBV treated animals served as controls. After five weeks of WBV treatment, animals were tested for anxiety-like behavior by the open field test and for spatial and object memory functions by the novel and spatial object recognition tests, respectively. As a result, anxiety-like and exploratory behaviors were significantly improved in the WBV treated group compared to the pseudo WBV group. Furthermore, WBV treatment increased discrimination performance in both spatial and object memory function testing. These results indicate that WBV treatment in thirty months old rats seems to have comparable beneficial effects on age-related emotional and cognitive performance as what has been reported in younger age groups.
