Effects of aerobic exercise with simultaneous cerebrolysin drug administration on spatial memory in adult male rat model of Parkinson's disease

Memory impairment is a complication of Parkinson's disease (PD). Cerebrolysin has neurotrophic effects and stimulates neuronal growth. Exercise also increases brain growth factors and improves spatial memory. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of aerobic exercise and concomitant use of cerebrolysin on spatial memory in male rats model of PD. 36 male Wistar rats weighing 250±20 were randomly divided into 6 equal groups: surgical sham, PD (6-hydroxydopamine unilateral single injection), positive control (levodopa, 12 mg/kg-po, 21 days), cerebrolysin (538 mg/kg-ip, 21days), treadmill exercise (daily for 30 minutes, 60% VO2 max, 21 days) and cerebrolysin with exercise. The cerberolysin plus exercise group was treated similarly. Finally, a spatial memory test with Morris water maze was performed in the studied groups, and after euthanasia, brain tissue was sampled to study the pathological changes in hippocampus. Data were analyzed by ANOVA test and Tukey post-hoc at the level of p<0.05 by Graphpad software. PD induction reduced spatial memory indices. Cerebrolysine increased spatial memory factors (p<0.05). Aerobic exercise improved spatial memory parameters such as cerebrolysin (p<0.05). Statistically, exercise with cerebrolysine had the best effect on improving spatial memory indices. The pathological results were consistent with the results of spatial memory. This study states that aerobic exercise and cerebrolysin treatment simultaneously improved spatial memory and pathological changes in the hippocampus in PD rats.