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The hippocampus and exercise: histological correlates of MR-detected volume changes

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Abstract

Growing evidence indicates that physical exercise increases hippocampal volume. This has consistently been shown in mice and men using magnetic resonance imaging. On the other hand, histological studies have reported profound alterations on a cellular level including increased adult hippocampal neurogenesis after exercise. A combined investigation of both phenomena has not been documented so far although a causal role of adult neurogenesis for increased hippocampal volume has been suggested before. We investigated 20 voluntary wheel running and 20 sedentary mice after a period of 2 month voluntary wheel running. Half of each group received focalized hippocampal irradiation to inhibit neurogenesis prior to wheel running. Structural MRI and histological investigations concerning newborn neurons (DCX), glial cells (GFAP), microglia, proliferating and pyknotic cells, neuronal activation, as well as blood vessel density and arborisation were performed. In a regression model, neurogenesis was the marker best explaining hippocampal gray matter volume. Individual analyses showed a positive correlation of gray matter volume with DCX-positive newborn neurons in the subgroups, too. GFAP-positive cells significantly interacted with gray matter volume with a positive correlation in sham-irradiated mice and no correlation in irradiated mice. Although neurogenesis appears to be an important marker of higher hippocampal gray matter volume, a monocausal relationship was not indicated, requesting further investigations.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by grants from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft to Peter Gass (SFB636-B3) and Gabriele Ende (SFB636-Z3). We gratefully thank Prof. Dr. Klaus-Josef Weber for providing the irradiation equipment.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Departments of Neuroimaging and Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), RG Translational Imaging, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany

      Sarah V. Biedermann & Wolfgang Weber-Fahr

    2. Department of Neuroimaging, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany

      Sarah V. Biedermann, Claudia Falfán-Melgoza, Gabriele Ende & Wolfgang Weber-Fahr

    3. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, J 5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany

      Johannes Fuss, Jörg Steinle, Matthias K. Auer, Christof Dormann & Peter Gass

    4. Department of Endocrinology, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany

      Matthias K. Auer

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    1. Sarah V. Biedermann
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    2. Johannes Fuss
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    Correspondence to Johannes Fuss.

    Additional information

    S.V. Biedermann and J. Fuss share first authorship. P. Gass and W. Weber-Fahr share last authorship.

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    Biedermann, S.V., Fuss, J., Steinle, J. et al. The hippocampus and exercise: histological correlates of MR-detected volume changes. Brain Struct Funct 221, 1353–1363 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-014-0976-5

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-014-0976-5

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