Effects of Voluntary Exercise on Motor Function in Parkinson\'s disease Model of Rats

Background. Previous surveys have shown that motor deficits precede the classical motor symptoms seen in Parkinson&rsquo;s disease (PD) and that physical exercise may have beneficial effects on PD. Objectives. Here, we evaluated the potential of voluntary exercise to improve motor deficit in experimentally-induced Parkinson&rsquo;s disease (6-OHDA) rats. Methods. Forty adult Wistar rats were randomly assigned to four groups: (1) untrained-vehicle (2) untrained-Parkinson&rsquo;s (3) running wheel (RW)-vehicle and (4) RW-Parkinson&rsquo;s. Exercise groups were given free nocturnal access for over four weeks. The motor function, balance and strength were respectively measured by Rotarod and hanging test. Results. The data showed that voluntary exercise groups had a significant increase in balance (p<0.05) and strength (p<0.05), when compared to control groups. Running wheel improved motor function in animals induced by 6-OHDA. Conclusion. Thus, our results reinforce the potential of voluntary exercise as a useful tool for reducing motor symptoms associated with Parkinson&rsquo;s disease.