Swimming Prevents Memory Impairment by Increasing the Antioxidant Defense in an Animal Model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Abstract

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disease which is associated to a progressive skeletical muscle degeneration. Swimming is usually indicated for avoiding impact and facilitating adherence because of a better adaptation to a warm water invironment and also for its benefits on cognition, and modulating memory and learning processes and for increasing antioxidant defenses in oxidative stress. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a swimming protocol on memory and oxidative stress in an animal model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Methods: male mdx and wild type mice within 28 days were used in this study. The animals were trained in an stepped swimming protocol for four consecutive weeks. Twenty four hours after the last exercise day, aversive memory and habituation memory tests were performed and removed the encephalic structures of striatus, pre frontal cortex, hippocampus, and cortex and gastrocnemius and diafragma muscles to evaluate protein carbonilation and lipid peroxidation and free thiols. Results: it was verified that swimming was able to reduce significantly the levels of lipid peroxidation and protein carbonilation in gastrocnemius and hippocampus and striatus in exercised animals. Swimming has also prevented lipid peroxidation in diafragma. Besides, this swimming protocol was able to increase free thiols in gastrocnemius, diafragma and in analysed SNC structures. These results showed that swimming prevented aversive and habituation memory in mdx mice.