Endurance Training along with Methylphenidate Consumption on Purkinje Cells in Rats with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Many studies have shown that exercise exercises have an effect of altering the cerebral pocketing cells and improving cognitive, motor, learning and memory functions. Also, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) strongly associated with a defect in the cerebellum that has been created by reducing the size of the cerebellum. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of endurance training along with methylphenidate consumption on Purkinje cells in rats with ADHD.

A Laboratory research method used. The subjects were 4–6 weeks, 40 Wistar rats (mean and standard deviation of 102.28±4.74 g); which randomly divided into two groups. A total of 7 rats as a control group and 33 rats in an L–NAME group. At this stage, 10 mg L–NAME per kg bodyweight, eight weeks and five times a week, was injected subcutaneously for hypertension. The L–NAME group at the age of 8 to 12 weeks (mean and standard deviation of 181.70±8.37 g) randomly divided into five groups. A blood sampling group including five rats (mean and standard deviation of 182±6.51 grams)  used for blood sampling, and the remaining 28 rats (mean standard deviation of 181.66±8.69 grams) were divided into four groups of 7 rats randomly. Four groups were ADHD, ADHD+endurance training, ADHD+methylphenidate consumption group, ADHD+endurance training+methylphenidate consumption. To ADHD+methylphenidate use and ADHD+endurance training+methylphenidate consumption, 2 mg of methylphenidate was given daily in kilograms of body weight, five days per week orally. The open–field test for over–active detection and 5–band treadmill for endurance training of rats used. The rats ran for 28 days, five days a week. The practice load for training groups included running at speeds of 2 to 8 m/min for 30 minutes. Descriptive statistics were used to determine to mean, mean, standard deviation, drawing tables and charts. For normalization of the distribution of dependent variables from the Kolmogorov–Smirnov and the assumption of the equation of variances, the Levine test and the correlation t were used to examine the intra–group weight variations and one–way variance for intra–group variation.

The results showed that there was a significant difference between the number of Purkinje cells in the control group than the other groups (ADHD without endurance training and methylphenidate consumption group, ADHD+endurance exercise, ADHD+methylphenidate consumption, ADHD+methylphenidate consumption+endurance exercise) (p<0.001). Also, there was a significant difference between the number of Purkinje cells ADHD without endurance training and methylphenidate consumption group than the other groups (control, ADHD+endurance exercise, ADHD+methylphenidate consumption, ADHD+methylphenidate consumption+endurance exercise) (p<0.001). However, there was no significant difference between ADHD+endurance exercises with ADHD+methylphenidate consumption group and ADHD+methylphenidate consumption+ endurance exercises.

According to the findings of this study, about the fact that endurance exercises have been reported without complications, it seems that 30 minutes of endurance training per day could replace the use of methylphenidate to changes in cerebral Purkingia cells for an ADHD animal model. It is also assumed that the increase in the number of Purkinje cells is associated with better endurance function associated with exercise.