Maternal voluntary physical activity attenuates delayed neurodevelopment in malnourished rats

Abstract

What is the central question of this study? In the present study, a reproducible model of maternal voluntary physical activity was developed to evaluate the adaptive response of physical activity by attenuating the effects of maternal undernutrition on physical features, reflex ontogeny and growth trajectory of offspring during development. What is the main finding and its importance? Maternal physical activity may induce neuronal maturation of sensorimotor connections impacting on the patterns of locomotor activity in malnourished offspring. Thus, physical activity should be considered as a therapeutic means of countering the effects of maternal undernutrition, by providing a useful strategy for enhancing the neuronal activity of children born to mothers who experience a restricted diet during pregnancy. This study evaluated the effects of maternal voluntary physical activity during pregnancy and lactation on somatic growth (SG), reflex ontogeny (RO) and locomotor activity (LA) of rats whose mothers were protein restricted. Virgin female Wistar rats were divided into the following six groups: control, normal protein (C-NP, n = 4); control, low protein (C-LP, n = 4); inactive, normal protein (I-NP, n = 8); inactive, low protein (I-LP, n = 7); very active, normal protein (VA-NP, n = 8); and very active, low protein (VA-LP, n = 6). Voluntary physical activity was recorded daily in dams. The LP groups were fed an 8% casein diet, whereas control groups were fed a 17% casein diet during pregnancy and lactation. Offspring were evaluated in terms of SG (body weight and length, latero-lateral skull axis and anteroposterior head axis) and RO (palmar grasp, righting, free-fall righting, negative geotaxis, cliff avoidance, auditory startle response and vibrissa placing). The LA was evaluated at 23, 45 and 60 days old in the open field. Voluntary physical activity was reduced during pregnancy and lactation independent of the maternal diet. Pups from LP dams showed delayed SG, reflex maturation and patterns of LA when compared with control pups. The C-LP and I-LP pups showed a delayed SG, RO and LA. Pups from VA-LP mothers showed no delay in SG and RO and presented a faster development of patterns of LA. Maternal voluntary physical activity attenuated the effects of LP diet on indicators of neurodevelopment and patterns of LA of offspring.

Acquired Resilience: An Evolved System of Tissue Protection in Mammals

“…In one follow-on observation, for example, Herring and colleagues 339 reported that exercise in the pregnant mother slows the development of the Aβ plaque pathology of her progeny, suggesting epigenetic transmission of the effect for at least one generation (and another challenge for human mothers determined to have the perfect baby). Fragoso and colleagues 340 provided a confirming observation that maternal exercise during pregnancy in rats attenuates the damage to the fetal brain caused by malnutrition.…”

Maternal physical activity-induced adaptive transcriptional response in brain and placenta of mothers and rat offspring

“…This categorisation is aligned with previous studies. 25,26 Earlier literature has also shown that such behavioural traits, i.e. the propensity or not for spontaneous physical activity, can be regulated by central (mRNA expression in the central nervous system) and/or peripheral (mRNA expression in skeletal muscle) mechanisms.…”

“…These parameters were used to classify the rats according to their level of daily physical activity: inactive (I, n = 6), active (A, n = 4) or very active (VA, n = 5) according to previous studies. 25,26 After mating, rats continued to have access to the running wheel during gestation ( Fig. 1).…”

“…In our previous studies, we demonstrated that maternal voluntary physical activity was able to alter the growth and developmental trajectory of the offspring. 25,26 Voluntary maternal physical activity increased the indicators of somatic growth (laterolateral axis of skull, longitudinal axis and tail length) of the offspring during lactation. 26 Moreover, there was an earlier occurrence of the day of ear opening, internal auditory conduct opening, eruption of lower incisors and the palmar grasp reflex in pups from the very active dams during lactation.…”

“…26 In addition, maternal voluntary physical activity attenuated the effects of maternal low-protein diet (8% protein) on patterns of locomotor activity (distance travelled, average power, total energy and time of immobility) of the offspring at 60 days old. 25 The underlying mechanisms may be related to the uterine blood flow and enhanced placental transfer of oxygen and diffusible substrates. 18 Herein, we have used the same experimental model of voluntary maternal physical activity to investigate the physical activity-induced neuroplasticity on transcriptional gene expression of NTFs.…”