Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Unraveling the Influence of Litter Size, Maternal Care, Exercise, and Aging on Neurobehavioral Plasticity and Dentate Gyrus Microglia Dynamics in Rats

Lane Viana Krejcová
,
João Bento-Torres
ORCID logo ,
Daniel Guerreiro Diniz
ORCID logo ,
Antonio Jr. Pereira
ORCID logo ,
Manuella Batista-de-Oliveira Hornsby
,
Andreia Albuquerque Cunha Lopes de Morais
,
Rosângela Figueiredo Mendes-da-Silva
,
Ricardo Abadie Guedes
,
Ângela Amâncio dos Santos
,
Denise Sandrelly Lima
,
Rubem C.A. Guedes
ORCID logo ,
Cristovam Wanderley Picanço-Diniz
* ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 13 April 2024 / Approved: 15 April 2024 / Online: 15 April 2024 (05:22:03 CEST)

How to cite: Krejcová, L.V.; Bento-Torres, J.; Diniz, D.G.; Pereira, A.J.; Hornsby, M.B.; de Morais, A.A.C.L.; Mendes-da-Silva, R.F.; Guedes, R.A.; dos Santos, Â.A.; Lima, D.S.; Guedes, R.C.; Picanço-Diniz, C.W. Unraveling the Influence of Litter Size, Maternal Care, Exercise, and Aging on Neurobehavioral Plasticity and Dentate Gyrus Microglia Dynamics in Rats. Preprints 2024, 2024040898. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0898.v1 Krejcová, L.V.; Bento-Torres, J.; Diniz, D.G.; Pereira, A.J.; Hornsby, M.B.; de Morais, A.A.C.L.; Mendes-da-Silva, R.F.; Guedes, R.A.; dos Santos, Â.A.; Lima, D.S.; Guedes, R.C.; Picanço-Diniz, C.W. Unraveling the Influence of Litter Size, Maternal Care, Exercise, and Aging on Neurobehavioral Plasticity and Dentate Gyrus Microglia Dynamics in Rats. Preprints 2024, 2024040898. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0898.v1

Abstract

This study explores the multifaceted influence of litter size, maternal care, exercise, and aging on rats' neurobehavioral plasticity and dentate gyrus microglia dynamics. Body weight evolution revealed a progressive increase until maturity, followed by a decline during aging, with larger litters exhibiting lower weights initially. Notably, exercised rats from smaller litters displayed higher body weights during mature and aged stages. Dentate gyrus volumes showed no significant differences among groups, except for aged sedentary rats from smaller litters, which exhibited a reduction. Maternal care varied significantly based on litter size, with large litter dams showing lower frequencies of caregiving behaviors. Behavioral assays highlighted the detrimental impact of a sedentary lifestyle and reduced maternal care/large litters on spatial memory, mitigated by exercise in aged rats from smaller litters. Microglial dynamics in the layers of dentate gyrus revealed age-related changes modulated by litter size and exercise. Exercise interventions mitigated microgliosis associated with aging, particularly in aged rats. These findings underscore the complex interplay between early-life experiences, exercise, microglial dynamics, and neurobehavioral outcomes during aging.

Keywords

maternal care; litter size; microglia; dentate gyrus; exercise; age-related memory impairments; object recognition

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Neuroscience and Neurology

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Download PDF Download Supplementary

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0
Metrics 0
Get PDF Supplementary Files Cite Share 0
Bookmark BibSonomy Mendeley Reddit Delicious
×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.