The purpose of this study was to demonstrate motor function after brain damage (BD) with/without running exercise using quantitative behavioral and physiological analysis.
Mice were randomly assigned to one of the three experimental groups as follows: BD with treadmill running exercise (Ex) (BD with Ex), BD without Ex (BD w/o Ex), sham-operation without Ex (sham w/o Ex). The rehabilitation program was a running exercise. To evaluate the physical fitness of the BD with Ex mice, we first examined the incremental running test and determined the ability and capacity of exercise tolerance in mice. Simultaneously, the pulmonary gas exchange of O2 and CO2 were measured to estimate the aerobic and anerobic condition. Mice in the BD with Ex and BD w/o Ex groups were subjected to left hemidecortication. One day after BD surgery, mice in the BD with Ex group were made to perform running exercise for rehabilitation on the treadmill (10 m/min for 30 min, once a day, 5 times/a week) for a total of four weeks. After mice underwent four weeks of the Ex regimen, their gait was recorded and evaluated using three-dimensional (3D) kinematical analysis as the quantitative analysis and compared with that of BD mice who did not undergo the Ex regimen. After that, both sides of the soleus muscles were collected and contractile function of the soleus muscle was assessed using the Magnus technique. Finally, gene expression of fast- and slow-twitch muscle fibers was investigated in the soleus muscle. Kinematical and physiological data were analyzed by ANOVA followed by Bonferroni’s correction between BD with Ex, BD w/o Ex, and sham w/o Ex groups.
As a result of 3D analysis, BD w/o Ex mice demonstrated significant impairment in stride, step, and stride width compared with the BD with Ex mice. Trajectory analysis revealed significant restriction in both ankles in the BD w/o Ex mice, and impairment in the dorsal/planter flexing was also observed. As a result of muscle function, maximum muscle contraction and gene expression of fast- and slow-twitch muscle fiber were insignificantly different within three groups.
These results suggested that moderate running exercises improved the posture, steps, and ankle joint movement in gait. Kinematical analysis allowed quantitative analysis of the limb’s spatiotemporal movement in both the unaffected and affected sides in this study. Mechanisms of muscle physiology that support the results of these kinematic analyses require further investigation.
This research has the potential to contribute to the elucidation of the mechanisms of recovery of motor function after brain injury.
kinematical movement
muscle function
