西井 一宏

INTRODUCTION: The decline in spatial working memory is one of the earliest signs of normal brain aging. OBJECTIVE: We developed a novel physical exercise method, termed the "shaking exercise," to slow down this process. METHODS: The experimental protocol included administering the shaking exercise for 8-32 weeks in male senescence-accelerated mouse prone 10 (SAMP-10). They were subjected to the T-maze test, followed by immunohistochemical analysis, to assess the influence of the shaking exercise on the M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (CHRM1) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid receptor (AMPAR) of the dorsal hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex (dHC-mPFC). RESULTS: The T-maze test demonstrated that the shaking group had less hesitation in the face of selecting direction at week 24. In the immunohistochemical analysis, more CHRM1s were in the CA3 subregion and more AMPARs were in the subiculum. CHRM1s and AMPARs were maintained in the CA1 region and the mPFC. The CHRM1s seem to have a positive effect on the AMPAR in the dentate gyrus (DG) region and the CA3 region. In the CA1 region, CHRM1s were negatively correlated with AMPARs. In addition, high-density neurons were expressed in the shaking group in the upstream DG, the middle part and the distal part of CA3, the distal part of CA1, and the mPFC. CONCLUSIONS: Our results raise the possibility that maintenance of the spatial working memory effect observed with the shaking exercise is driven in part by the uneven affection of CHRM1s and AMPARs in the dHC-mPFC circuit system and significantly maintains the neuronal expression in the dHC-mPFC.

INTRODUCTION: Although exercise can prevent cognitive decline due to aging, few elderly individuals are able to exercise for long. Therefore, an exercise method for older adults that is feasible for a long duration without overexertion is necessary. In this study, we focused on exercise by shaking. This study examined the possibility to prevent the decline in memory through regular and long-term shaking exercise using a senescence-accelerated mouse (SAM) model. Behavioral analysis was conducted, and histological changes in the mouse brain were examined to evaluate whether this stimulation method could become a novel exercise method. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The shaking exercise was applied to SAMP10 mice for 30 min 3 times per week for 25 continuous weeks. Behavioral analysis included a step-through passive avoidance test, whereas the histological analysis involved immunohistochemical staining using the anti-glutamate receptor (α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptors [AMPAR]) antibody in the hippocampus. The number and area of nerve cells in the hippocampal regions were measured and compared between groups. RESULTS: Behavioral analysis revealed that the shaking group retained memory longer than the control group, and memory capacity decline was suppressed. Additionally, histological examination showed that the shaking group had a higher number of AMPAR receptor-positive neurons per area in the hippocampal CA1 and CA3 regions than the control group, suggesting that degeneration and shedding of neurons due to aging was suppressed. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: We believe that shaking could become an exercise therapy that can reduce the decline in memory with aging and expect its human application in the future.