Can Exercise Ameliorate Memory Impairment viaPPAR Gamma Activation in Rats Fed A High-Fat Diet?

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed at determining the molecular effects of exercise on obesity treatment and cognitive impairment by examining the relationship between exercise (one of the non-pharmacological approaches) and PPAR-γ.Methods: We classified 32 rats into four experimental groups: random control (C), obese (Ob), control exercise group (C+Ex), and obese exercise (Ob+Ex). The experimental groups were fed with a high-fat diet (45% fat) and standard rodent chow. The exercise program commenced after obesity diagnosis (30 min/day) and continued until the end of the study. At the end of the study, all rats underwent a learning–memory test in a Morris water tank, and the hippocampus of all rats were removed under anesthesia to study the PPAR gamma gene expression level.Results: The escape latency was significantly different between the exercise groups and non-exercise groups (p0.05).Conclusion: PPAR-γ gene expression levels were upregulated in the exercise groups. In addition, the exercise groups performed better with regards to cognitive functions. This result provides a clue about the impact of exercise on the molecular pathway with respect to performance differences in cognitive function due to obesity.