Neuroplasticity induced by the retention period of a complex motor skill learning in rats

Author(s)

Sampaio, Adaneuda Silva Britto ^[1] ; Real, Caroline Cristiano ^{[2, 3, 4]} ; Gutierrez, Rita Mara Soares ^[1] ; Singulani, Monique Patricio ^{[4, 5]} ; Alouche, Sandra Regina ^[1] ; Britto, Luiz Roberto ^[4] ; Pires, Raquel Simoni ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ City Sao Paulo, Masters & Doctoral Programs Phys Therapy, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med, Inst Radiol, Lab Nucl Med LIM 43, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[3] Aarhus Univ, Dept Clin Med, Translat Neuropsychiatry Unit, Aarhus - Denmark

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biomed Sci, Dept Physiol & Biophys, Lab Cellular Neurobiol, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[5] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med, Inst Psychiat, Lab Neurosci LIM 27, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Behavioural Brain Research; v. 414, SEP 24 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Learning complex motor skills is an essential process in our daily lives. Moreover, it is an important aspect for the development of therapeutic strategies that refer to rehabilitation processes since motor skills previously acquired can be transferred to similar tasks (motor skill transfer) or recovered without further practice after longer delays (motor skill retention). Different acrobatic exercise training (AE) protocols induce plastic changes in areas involved in motor control and improvement in motor performance. However, the plastic mechanisms involved in the retention of a complex motor skill, essential for motor learning, are not well described. Thus, our objective was to analyze the brain plasticity mechanisms involved in motor skill retention in AE . Motor behavior tests, and the expression of synaptophysin (SYP), synapsin-I (SYS), and early growth response protein 1 (Egr-1) in brain areas involved in motor learning were evaluated. Young male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: sedentary (SED), AE, and AE with retention period (AER). AE was performed three times a week for 8 weeks, with 5 rounds in the circuit. After a fifteen-day retention interval, the AER animals was again exposed to the acrobatic circuit. Our results revealed motor performance improvement in the AE and AER groups. In the elevated beam test, the AER group presented a lower time and greater distance, suggesting retention period is important for optimizing motor learning consolidation. Moreover, AE promoted significant plastic changes in the expression of proteins in important areas involved in control and motor learning, some of which were maintained in the AER group. In summary, these data contribute to the understanding of neural mechanisms involved in motor learning in an animal model, and can be useful to the construction of therapeutics strategies that optimize motor learning in a rehabilitative context. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/18161-5 - Neuroplasticity generated by different types of physical exercise in the rat brain
• Grantee: Raquel Simoni Pires
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants