THE EFFECT OF FOUR WEEKS' VOLUNTARY EXERCISE ON A REGULAR AND COMPLEX WHEEL RUNNING ON NG2 BRAIN LEVELS IN HEALTHY MALE WISTAR RATS

NGF-2 is oligodendrocyte progenitor cell which has neuroprotective functions. This study was designed to investigate and compare the effect of a 4-week voluntary training program on regular and complex running wheels on NGF-2 levels in healthy Wistar male rats. Thirty adult Wistar male rats were divided into 3 groups: voluntary training on regular running wheel, voluntary training on complex running wheel, and control. For measuring the NGF-2 levels in the brain, the ELISA test was used. One-way analysis of variance and Tuckey post-hoc tests were employed for comparing the intergroup differences. All the statistical analysis were conducted by SPSS software (version 20). Performing voluntary training programs on regular (p=0.03) and complex running wheels (p=0.001) resulted in significant changes in NGF-2 levels in the brain. There was also a significant difference between these two modes of training programs (p=0.05). Based on the results, these 2 training protocols can be regarded as positive intervening factors for increasing oligodendrocytes in healthy rats, although the complex running wheel voluntary training has shown to be more promising.