ACTIVITY-DEPENDENT NEUROPROTECTIVE PROTEIN EXPRESSION IS REGIONALLY UPREGULATED BY MODERATE AEROBIC EXERCISE IN THE RAT BRAIN

Palmeri N¹, D’Amico AG², Pricoco E³, D’Agata V² and Maugeri G¹ | ¹Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Italy; ²Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Italy; ³Anatomic Pathology, A.O.U. Policlinico G. Rodolico-San Marco, Catania, Italy

Engaging in moderate aerobic exercise has been shown to significantly enhance cognitive performance and support overall brain health. Physical activity promotes adult neurogenesis and increases synaptic plasticity, particularly in brain regions involved in learning and memory, such as the hippocampus and those related to motor coordination, like the cerebellum. Activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP) plays a crucial role in neurodevelopment, brain maturation, and synaptic plasticity. However, the influence of moderate exercise on ADNP expression and its distribution within the rat brain has not yet been explored. This study aimed to examine how moderate exercise affects ADNP levels and neuronal activity, the latter being assessed through the expression of the microtubule-associated protein β-Tubulin III. A total of 24 rats were randomly assigned to one of two groups: a sedentary control group and a group subjected to a 12-week treadmill-based moderate exercise regimen. Our findings demonstrated that moderate aerobic activity led to increased expression of both ADNP and β-Tubulin III in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus and in the cerebellum. Additionally, we observed co-localization of ADNP and β- Tubulin III in these regions, indicating a possible direct relationship between ADNP and exercise-induced neuronal activation. In summary, these results suggest that the beneficial effects of moderate physical activity may, in part, be attributed to the upregulation and interaction of ADNP with β-Tubulin III in specific areas of the brain.