Voluntary running-wheel exercise decreases the threshold for rewarding intracranial self-stimulation.
Summary of "Voluntary running-wheel exercise decreases the threshold for rewarding intracranial self-stimulation."
Physical exercise has mood-enhancing and antidepressant properties although the mechanisms underlying these effects are not known. The present experiment investigated the effects of prolonged access to a running wheel on electrical self-stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus (LHSS), a measure of hedonic state, in rats. Rats with continuous voluntary access to a running wheel for either 2 or 5 weeks exhibited dramatic leftward shifts in the effective current 50 (ECu50; current value that supports half of maximum responding) of their LHSS current-response functions compared to their baselines, indicating a decrease in reward threshold, whereas control rats current-response functions after 2 or 5 weeks were not significantly different from baseline. An inverse correlation existed between the change in ECu50 from baseline and the amount an animal had run in the day prior to LHSS testing, indicating that animals that exhibited higher levels of running showed a more robust decrease in LHSS threshold. We conclude that long-term voluntary exercise increases sensitivity to rewarding stimuli, which may contribute to its antidepressant properties. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).
Affiliation
Department of Psychology.
Journal Details
This article was published in the following journal.
Name: Behavioral neuroscience
ISSN: 1939-0084
Pages: 582-7
Links
- PubMed Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22845707
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0029149
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome
SKELETAL MUSCLE pain and tenderness along the posteromedial TIBIA resulting from exercise such as running and other physical activity.
Exercise Tolerance
The exercise capacity of an individual as measured by endurance (maximal exercise duration and/or maximal attained work load) during an EXERCISE TEST.
Anaerobic Threshold
The oxygen consumption level above which aerobic energy production is supplemented by anaerobic mechanisms during exercise, resulting in a sustained increase in lactate concentration and metabolic acidosis. The anaerobic threshold is affected by factors that modify oxygen delivery to the tissues; it is low in patients with heart disease. Methods of measurement include direct measure of lactate concentration, direct measurement of bicarbonate concentration, and gas exchange measurements.
Exercise Test
Controlled physical activity, more strenuous than at rest, which is performed in order to allow assessment of physiological functions, particularly cardiovascular and pulmonary, but also aerobic capacity. Maximal (most intense) exercise is usually required but submaximal exercise is also used. The intensity of exercise is often graded, using criteria such as rate of work done, oxygen consumption, and heart rate.
Differential Threshold
The smallest difference which can be discriminated between two stimuli or one which is barely above the threshold.
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