Combined effects of aerobic exercise and 40-Hz light flicker exposure on early cognitive impairments in Alzheimer’s disease of 3×Tg mice

Authors

Sang-Seo Park, University of Nebraska at Omaha
Hye-Sang Park, University of Nebraska at Omaha
Change-Ju Kim, KyungHee University
Seung-Soo Baek, Sangmyung University
Song-young Park, University of Nebraska at OmahaFollow
Cody Anderson, University of Nebraska at OmahaFollow
Myung-Ki Kim, Korea University
Ik-Ryeul Park, Gyeongsang National University
Tae-Woon Kim, Gyeongsang National University

Author ORCID Identifier

Park - https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8576-7531

Kim - https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4749-5795

Baek - https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1340-2098

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-7-2022

Publication Title

Journal of Applied Physiology

Volume

132

Issue

4

First Page

1054

Last Page

1068

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive degenerative brain disease and the primary cause of dementia. At an early stage, AD is generally characterized by short-term memory impairment, owing to dysfunctions of the cortex and hippocampus. We previously reported that a combination of exercise and 40-Hz light flickering can protect against AD-related neuroinflammation, gamma oscillations, reduction in Aβ, and cognitive decline. Therefore, we sought to extend our previous findings to the 5-mo-old 3×Tg-AD mouse model to examine whether the same favorable effects occur in earlier stages of cognitive dysfunction. We investigated the effects of 12 wk of exercise combined with 40-Hz light flickering on cognitive function by analyzing neuroinflammation, mitochondrial function, and neuroplasticity in the hippocampus in a 3×Tg-AD mouse model. Five-month-old 3×Tg-AD mice performed 12 wk of exercise with 40-Hz light flickering administered independently and in combination. Spatial learning and memory, long-term memory, hippocampal Aβ, tau, neuroinflammation, proinflammatory cytokine expression, mitochondrial function, and neuroplasticity were analyzed. Aβ and tau proteins levels were significantly reduced in the early stage of AD, resulting in protection against cognitive decline by reducing neuroinflammation and proinflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, mitochondrial function improved, apoptosis was reduced, and synapse-related protein expression increased. Overall, exercise with 40-Hz light flickering was significantly more effective than exercise or 40-Hz light flickering alone, and the improvement was comparable to the levels in the nontransgenic aged-match control group. Our results indicate a synergistic effect of exercise and 40-Hz light flickering on pathological improvements in the hippocampus during early AD-associated cognitive impairment.

Comments

This is the accepted manuscript of an article published in the Journal of Applied Physiology on April 7, 2022 and can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00751.2021

Recommended Citation

Combined effects of aerobic exercise and 40-Hz light flicker exposure on early cognitive impairments in Alzheimer’s disease of 3×Tg mice Sang-Seo Park, Hye-Sang Park, Chang-Ju Kim, Seung-Soo Baek, Song-Young Park, Cody Anderson, Myung-Ki Kim, Ik-Ryeul Park, and Tae-Woon Kim Journal of Applied Physiology 2022 132:4, 1054-1068