Effects of Strength Training and Concurrent Training on Brain-Specific miRNAs Expression in the Mouse Hippocampus

Abstract

Regular physical activity clearly exerts numerous positive effects on cognitive function. We verified the impact of resistance training (RT) and concurrent training (CT) on cognitive function in mice, as well as the expression of cognition-related genes and brain-specific miRNAs in the hippocampus. In this study, it was demonstrated that RT and CT led to a decrease in miR-21 and miR-132 levels in the hippocampus of mice, and improved their spatial memory ability. The levels of miR-21 and miR-132 expression in the hippocampus were found to be significantly reduced in RT and CT mice compared to control (CON) mice, with a more pronounced difference observed between CT mice and CON mice. Furthermore, there was a significant improvement in the spatial memory ability of RT mice and CT mice, with the spatial memory ability of CT mice showing even greater enhancement. Our findings indicate that the down-regulation of miR-21 and miR-132 is associated with improved spatial memory, identifying them as potential negative regulators of memory formation. In terms of protein expression, there were no discernible variations in the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and insulin-like growth factor 1 among the various experimental groups. Moreover, the CT mice exhibited a significantly reduced expression level of the tyrosine kinase receptor B protein compared to CON or RT mice. Our study reveals that miR-21 and miR-132, as potentially important molecules, provide new research directions for improving spatial memory ability. RT is beneficial for improving cognitive function. Compared to simply engaging in strength training, adopting a specific high-intensity concurrent training program can significantly enhance cognitive abilities, but this may come at the potential cost of a decline in aerobic capacity.

Keywords

Concurrent training / Hippocampus / miRNAs / Mouse / Spatial memory

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Funding

Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(BK20211228)

The Key Project Supported by Youth Foundation of the Army Engineering University of PLA(KYJXJKQTZQ23002)

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Beijing Sport University

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