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Xu Y, Yao Y, Lyu H, Ng S, Xu Y, Poon WS, Zheng Y, Zhang S, Hu X. Rehabilitation Effects of Fatigue-Controlled Treadmill Training After Stroke: A Rat Model Study. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:590013. [PMID: 33330421 PMCID: PMC7734251 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.590013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Traditional rehabilitation with uniformed intensity would ignore individual tolerance and introduce the second injury to stroke survivors due to overloaded training. However, effective control of the training intensity of different stroke survivors is still lacking. The purpose of the study was to investigate the rehabilitative effects of electromyography (EMG)-based fatigue-controlled treadmill training on rat stroke model. Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats after intracerebral hemorrhage and EMG electrode implantation surgeries were randomly distributed into three groups: the control group (CTRL, n = 11), forced training group (FOR-T, n = 11), and fatigue-controlled training group (FAT-C, n = 11). The rehabilitation interventions were delivered every day from day 2 to day 14 post-stroke. No training was delivered to the CTRL group. The rats in the FOR-T group were forced to run on the treadmill without rest. The fatigue level was monitored in the FAT-C group through the drop rate of EMG mean power frequency, and rest was applied to the rats when the fatigue level exceeded the moderate fatigue threshold. The speed and accumulated running duration were comparable in the FAT-C and the FOR-T groups. Daily evaluation of the motor functions was performed using the modified Neurological Severity Score. Running symmetry was investigated by the symmetry index of EMG bursts collected from both hind limbs during training. The expression level of neurofilament-light in the striatum was measured to evaluate the neuroplasticity. Results: The FAT-C group showed significantly lower modified Neurological Severity Score compared with the FOR-T (P ≤ 0.003) and CTRL (P ≤ 0.003) groups. The FAT-C group showed a significant increase in the symmetry of hind limbs since day 7 (P = 0.000), whereas the FOR-T group did not (P = 0.349). The FAT-C group showed a higher concentration of neurofilament-light compared to the CTRL group (P = 0.005) in the unaffected striatum and the FOR-T group (P = 0.021) in the affected striatum. Conclusion: The treadmill training with moderate fatigue level controlled was more effective in motor restoration than forced training. The fatigue-controlled physical training also demonstrated positive effects in the striatum neuroplasticity. This study indicated that protocol with individual fatigue-controlled training should be considered in both animal and clinical studies for better stroke rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuchen Xu
- Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardio-Cerebral Vascular Detection Technology and Medicinal Effectiveness Appraisal, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuanfa Yao
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardio-Cerebral Vascular Detection Technology and Medicinal Effectiveness Appraisal, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Department of Endocrinology, The Affiliated Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hao Lyu
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, ShaTin, Hong Kong
| | - Stephanie Ng
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, ShaTin, Hong Kong
| | - Yingke Xu
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardio-Cerebral Vascular Detection Technology and Medicinal Effectiveness Appraisal, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Department of Endocrinology, The Affiliated Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wai Sang Poon
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, ShaTin, Hong Kong
| | - Yongping Zheng
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Shaomin Zhang
- Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardio-Cerebral Vascular Detection Technology and Medicinal Effectiveness Appraisal, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoling Hu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
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Wang YL, Cheng JC, Chang CP, Su FC, Chen CC. Individualized Running Wheel System with a Dynamically Adjustable Exercise Area and Speed for Rats Following Ischemic Stroke. Med Sci Monit 2020; 26:e924411. [PMID: 32886655 PMCID: PMC7491243 DOI: 10.12659/msm.924411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background An innovative animal running wheel with an individualized design was implemented for the rehabilitation of rats following ischemic stroke. Material/Methods The design of the running wheel platform included the running wheel and a side plate for exercise area adjustments. A U-curve with a width of 2 cm was drawn on the lower half of the side plate for the dynamic adjustments of five infrared (IR) sensors based on the physical fitness of the rats. The individualized training process for this running wheel consisted of 2 days of free training to record their average and maximum speeds, 3 days of progressive training to determine their exercise areas, and 2 weeks of normal training based on their average speeds, maximum speeds, and exercise areas. Blood samples were obtained from the tail veins of all rats before the operations and on Days 14, 21, and 28 postsurgery to measure cortisol levels. The motor function tests were performed on Days 7 and 28 postsurgery. On Day 28 postsurgery, the rats were sacrificed under anesthesia, and their brains were removed for Nissl and H&E staining. Results On Day 28 after surgery, the motor function, lesion volume, and cell damage of the DEARW and control groups differed significantly, indicating that this device is effective for stroke rehabilitation. Conclusions The outcomes of the rats that were rehabilitated using the newly designed training system were better than those of their control-group counterparts, indicating the advantages of this designed system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Lin Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.,Center of General Education, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Tainan, Taiwan.,Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Jui-Chi Cheng
- Department of Electronic Engineering, National Chin-Yi University of Technology, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Ching-Ping Chang
- Department of Medical Research, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Fong-Chin Su
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Chun Chen
- Department of Electronic Engineering, National Chin-Yi University of Technology, Taichung, Taiwan
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Chen CC, Chang CP, Yang CL. An adaptive fall-free rehabilitation mechanism for ischemic stroke rat patients. Sci Rep 2019; 9:984. [PMID: 30700758 PMCID: PMC6353993 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37282-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Today’s commercial forced exercise platforms had been validated not as a well-designed rehabilitation environment for rats with a stroke, for the reason that rat with a stroke cannot take exercise at a constant intensity for a long period of time. In light of this, this work presented an adaptive, fall-free ischemic stroke rehabilitation mechanism in an animal model, which was implemented in an infrared-sensing adaptive feedback control running wheel (IAFCRW) platform. Consequently, rats with a stroke can be safely rehabilitated all the time, and particularly at full capacity for approximately one third of a training duration, in a completely fall-free environment according to individual physical differences by repeated use of an acceleration/deceleration mechanism. The performance of this platform was assessed using an animal ischemic stroke model. The IAFCRW therapy regimen was validated to outperform a treadmill and a conventional running wheel counterpart with respect to the reduction in the neurobehavioral deficits caused by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo). IAFCRW is the first adaptive forced exercise training platform short of electrical stimulation-assistance in the literature, and ischemic stroke rats benefit more in terms of the behavioral tests run at the end of a 3-week rehabilitation program after a stroke thereby.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi-Chun Chen
- Department of Electronic Engineering, National Chin-Yi University of Technology, Taichung, Taiwan.
| | - Ching-Ping Chang
- Department of Medical Research, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Chin-Lung Yang
- Department of Electrical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
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Exercise Rehabilitation Attenuates Cognitive Deficits in Rats with Traumatic Brain Injury by Stimulating the Cerebral HSP20/BDNF/TrkB Signalling Axis. Mol Neurobiol 2018; 55:8602-8611. [PMID: 29574629 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-018-1011-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2017] [Accepted: 03/16/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Physical exercise (PE) is an effective method for improving cognitive function among patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). We previously demonstrated that PE with an infrared-sensing running wheel (ISRW) system provides strong neuroprotection in an experimental animal model of stroke. In this study, we used fluid percussion injury in rats to simulate mild TBI. For rats, we used both passive avoidance learning and the Y-maze tests to evaluate cognitive function. We investigated whether PE rehabilitation attenuated cognitive deficits in rats with TBI and determined the contribution of hippocampal and cortical expression of heat shock protein 20 (HSP20) to PE-mediated cognitive recovery. In addition to increasing hippocampal and cortical expression of HSP20, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and the tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) ratio, PE rehabilitation significantly attenuated brain contusion and improved cognitive deficits in the rat model. Furthermore, reducing hippocampal and cortical expression of HSP20 with an intracerebral injection of pSUPER hsp20 small interfering RNA significantly diminished the PE-induced overexpression of hippocampal and cortical BDNF and the TrkB ratio and also reversed the beneficial effect of PE in reducing neurotrauma and the cognitive deficits. A positive Pearson correlation was found between HSP20 and BDNF, as well as between HSP20 and TrkB, in the hippocampal and cortical tissues. We thus conclude that post-ischaemic ISRW exercise rehabilitation attenuates cognitive deficits, as well as brain contusions, in TBI rats by stimulating the cerebral HSP20/BDNF/TrkB signalling axis.
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Rezaei S, Agha-Alinejad H, Molanouri Shamsi M, Jafari M, Azevedo Voltarelli F, Naderi A, Earnest C. Evaluation of efforts in untrained Wistar rats following exercise on forced running wheel at maximal lactate steady state. J Exerc Nutrition Biochem 2017; 21:26-32. [PMID: 28712262 PMCID: PMC5508056 DOI: 10.20463/jenb.2017.0040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2016] [Accepted: 02/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
[Purpose] We aimed to examine the effect of running speed on metabolic responses associated with maximal lactate steady state (MLSS) in rats during forced running wheel (FRW) exercise.
[Methods] Forty male adult Wistar rats were divided into seven groups. The blood lactate threshold and peak running speed were determined for an incremental power test group. Five groups participated in constant power tests at intensities 10, 13, 14.5, 16, and 17.5 m/min to determine MLSS and a non-exercise group was chosen as the control. Animals were euthanized immediately after constant power tests and their corticosterone, non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), blood glucose, and creatine kinase (CK) levels analyzed. The differences among groups were identified by one-way analysis of variance (p < 0.05).
[Results] Blood lactate threshold corresponded a running intensity of 15 m/min, while MLSS was determined to be 16 m/min. Serum corticosterone concentrations were significantly higher in 14.5, 16, and 17.5 m/min groups (298.8±62, 338.3±65, and 354±26 nM, respectively) as compared to that in the control group (210.6±16 nM). Concentrations of NEFA observed in groups 13, 14.5, 16, and 17.5 m/min (662.8±24, 702.35±69, 718.4±34, and 752.8±77 μM, respectively) were significantly higher than those in 10 m/min and control groups (511.1±53 and 412.1±56 μM, respectively). The serum CK concentration recorded for group 17.5 m/min (372.4±56 U/L) was higher than those recorded for other groups.
[Conclusion] The speed above 16 m/min on FRW resulted in increased physiological demands and muscle damage in untrained healthy Wistar rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sajjad Rezaei
- Physical Education & Sport Sciences Department, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamid Agha-Alinejad
- Physical Education & Sport Sciences Department, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahdieh Molanouri Shamsi
- Physical Education & Sport Sciences Department, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahvash Jafari
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fabricio Azevedo Voltarelli
- Graduation Program of Physical Education, Faculty of Physical Education, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Brazil
| | - Alireza Naderi
- Department of Sport Physiology, Boroujerd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Boroujerd, Iran
| | - Conrad Earnest
- Exercise Science and Sport Nutrition, College Station, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA
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Chen CC, Yang CL, Chang CP. An Innovative Running Wheel-based Mechanism for Improved Rat Training Performance. J Vis Exp 2016. [PMID: 27684092 DOI: 10.3791/54354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
This study presents an animal mobility system, equipped with a positioning running wheel (PRW), as a way to quantify the efficacy of an exercise activity for reducing the severity of the effects of the stroke in rats. This system provides more effective animal exercise training than commercially available systems such as treadmills and motorized running wheels (MRWs). In contrast to an MRW that can only achieve speeds below 20 m/min, rats are permitted to run at a stable speed of 30 m/min on a more spacious and high-density rubber running track supported by a 15 cm wide acrylic wheel with a diameter of 55 cm in this work. Using a predefined adaptive acceleration curve, the system not only reduces the operator error but also trains the rats to run persistently until a specified intensity is reached. As a way to evaluate the exercise effectiveness, real-time position of a rat is detected by four pairs of infrared sensors deployed on the running wheel. Once an adaptive acceleration curve is initiated using a microcontroller, the data obtained by the infrared sensors are automatically recorded and analyzed in a computer. For comparison purposes, 3 week training is conducted on rats using a treadmill, an MRW and a PRW. After surgically inducing middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo), modified neurological severity scores (mNSS) and an inclined plane test were conducted to assess the neurological damages to the rats. PRW is experimentally validated as the most effective among such animal mobility systems. Furthermore, an exercise effectiveness measure, based on rat position analysis, showed that there is a high negative correlation between the effective exercise and the infarct volume, and can be employed to quantify a rat training in any type of brain damage reduction experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi-Chun Chen
- Department of Electronic Engineering, National Chin-Yi University of Technology;
| | - Chin-Lung Yang
- Department of Electrical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University
| | - Ching-Ping Chang
- Department of Biotechnology, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology; Department of Medical Research, Chi Mei Medical Center
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