Perinatal running training reversed postnatal anxiety and depressive-like behavior and cognitive impairment in mice following prenatal subchronic variable stress

• Published in: Pharmacology, biochemistry and behavior Vol. 245; p. 173898
• Main Authors: Zhou, Lin, Wu, Zuotian, Li, Yixin, Xiao, Ling, Wang, Huiling, Wang, Gaohua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01-12-2024
• Subjects: Adult hippocampus neurogenesis; Exercise; Postpartum depression; Prenatal stress; Adult hippocampus neurogenesis; Postpartum depression; Exercise; Prenatal stress
• ISSN: 0091-3057; 1873-5177; 1873-5177
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2024.173898

Pregnancy is a very complex and highly stressful time in women. Despite the high prevalence of postpartum depression, more than 50 % of mothers are undiagnosed or untreated, showing an urgent need to explore an effective preventive strategy. Regular physical activity has been suggested to be associated with an increased quality of life in pregnant and postpartum women. The purpose of this study was to determine whether perinatal running training can affect maternal care stress-related anxiety, depressive-like behavior, and cognitive changes in postpartum dams and to explore the possible underlying mechanism.
40 female C57BL/6J mice were divided into four groups: prenatal control (NC) and running training (EX) group (NC+EX), prenatal control and nonrunning training (RE) group (NC+RE), prenatal subchronic variable stress (SCVS) and running training group (SCVS+EX) and prenatal SCVS and non-running training group (SCVS+RE). Mice in prenatal stress groups were subjected to SCVS after pregnancy confirmed. Mice in running training groups subjected to running training throughout pregnancy and lactation. Then after the delivery, maternal behavior, cognitive changes, anxiety and depressive-like behaviors were tested. Then we measured the serum prolactin (PRL), hypothalamic–pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis activity, and adult hippocampus neurogenesis (AHN) in dams.
Compared to NC+RE, prenatal SCVS caused cognitive impairments, the decrease in maternal behavior, and anxiety and depressive-like behavior in SCVS+RE dams, accompanying increase in HPA axis activity and decreased the PRL levels and AHN in postpartum period. Then compared to SCVS+RE, perinatal running training mitigates cognitive impairments, increased maternal behavior, and alleviates anxiety and depressive-like behavior in SCVS+EX dams, accompanying the decreased HPA axis activity, and the increased PRL levels and AHN in postpartum period.
Overall, this study suggests that perinatal running training might improve maternal care and reverse prenatal stress-related cognitive impairment and anxiety and depressive-like behavior in postpartum dams.
•Perinatal exercise alleviates anxiety and depressive-like behavior in dams.•Perinatal exercise mitigates cognitive impairments in dams.•Perinatal exercise ameliorates the change in HPA axis activity and PRL levels in dams.•Perinatal exercise mitigates the stress-related reduction in AHN.