Physical Activity Reduces Anxiety And Regulates Brain Fatty Acid Synthesis

Abstract

Physical activity impacts brain functions, but the direct mechanisms of this effect are not fully recognized or understood. Among multidimensional changes induced by physical activity, brain fatty acids (FA) appear to play an important role; however, the knowledge in this area is particularly scarce. Here we performed global metabolomics profiling of the hippocampus and the frontal cortex (FC) in a model of voluntary running in mice. Examined brain structures responded differentially to physical activity. Specifically, the markers of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle were downregulated in the FC, whereas glycolysis was enhanced in the hippocampus. Physical activity stimulated production of myristic, palmitic and stearic FA; i.e., the primary end products of de novo lipogenesis in the brain, which was accompanied by increased expression of hippocampal fatty acid synthase (FAS), suggesting stimulation of lipid synthesis. The changes in the brain fatty acid profile were associated with reduced anxiety level in the running mice. Overall, the study examines exercise-related metabolic changes in the brain and links them to behavioral outcomes.

Sex-specific effects of voluntary wheel running on behavior and the gut microbiota-immune-brain axis in mice

“…The increased time spent in the open arms of the maze and the higher number of entries made into these arms could not be explained by an overall increase in activity in this test, as the distance traveled in the apparatus was comparable between groups. Reductions in anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze have been reported in male mice subjected to different duration protocols of voluntary wheel running (Duman et al, 2008; Liśkiewicz et al, 2020; Santos-Soto et al, 2013). Similar effects have also been observed in females (Aujnarain et al, 2018), but in this particular study mice were housed in groups in an enriched environment that included a running wheel from weaning onward, which could have compounded the effects of structural and social enrichment with that of physical activity.…”