Aim: 

Physical exercise may contribute to delay Alzheimer's disease onset or lower its symptoms. The preventive effects of exercise could be at least in part caused by an oxidative stress-induced adaptation. We analyzed the oxidative status and the behavioural and cognitive correlates in a mice model of Alzheimer's disease submitted to voluntary exercise.

Methods: 

This study was carried out with male and female 3xTgAD and wild type mice 4 and 7 months old. Half of the animals had free access to an activity wheel for one month and the other half was used as sedentary controls. Spatial learning and memory tasks were evaluated by Morris water maze. Open field, dark and light box and hole board tests were used to measure the exploratory activity and innovation searching, motivation and anxiety. Levels of glutathione, glutathione peroxidase and reductase, superoxide dismutase and lipid hydroperoxides were measured in cerebral cortex.

Results: 

3xTgAD mice presented more anxiety and less exploratory activity than the wild type mice. Exercise led to an improvement of these behaviours in 7 month old mice, and of the cognitive level mainly in the female group. 3xTgAD male mice showed increased levels of oxidized glutathione. Voluntary exercise increased the levels of glutathione peroxidase in both genders, but the glutathione reductase only in females.

Conclusion: 

The results obtained showed a beneficial effect of exercise, mainly for females whose mood and cognition were more disturbed than males at these early stages. Oxidative related changes indicated the presence of a response to early oxidative stress changes

This work was supported by grants 062931 from Fundació la Marató de TV3 and RD06/0913/1004 from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain.