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New research has highlighted the protective effects of exercise against disruptions in gut microbiota that can impair brain health.

The study, conducted on Sprague-Dawley rats, exposed the role of exercise in maintaining adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN), the process where the brain produces new neurons in the hippocampus.

The hippocampus, crucial for memory and spatial navigation, retains its ability to generate neurons throughout adulthood, influenced by the gut microbiota through the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Lead author Sarah Nicolas and colleagues explored whether exercise could offset the detrimental effects of gut microbiota disruption on hippocampal neurogenesis.

In the study published in Translational Psychiatry, rats were divided into sedentary and exercise groups, each further subdivided into those with intact or disrupted gut microbiota induced by antibiotics. The exercise group had access to running wheels, while the sedentary group did not.

Behavioral tests conducted after three weeks revealed that sedentary rats with disrupted microbiota exhibited poorer cognitive performance and increased anxiety-like behaviors compared to those with intact microbiota.

Interestingly, exercise mitigated these effects, with exercised rats showing preserved cognitive function and reduced anxiety despite gut microbiota disruption. While microbiota disruption did not affect body weight or running activity, it did induce mild peripheral inflammation. Importantly, exercise countered the reduction in hippocampal neurogenesis caused by microbiota disruption.

The researchers also analyzed biochemical compounds associated with these effects, highlighting specific markers like ethyl 2-(4-oxo-4,5-dihydro-1,3-thiazol-2-yl) acetate. Despite significant shifts in caecal metabolites (found in the caecum), there were no major changes in hippocampal metabolism.

"Taken together, these data highlight the importance of the gut microbiota in AHN-dependent behaviors [behaviors that depend on adult hippocampal neurogenesis] and demonstrate the power of lifestyle factors such as voluntary exercise to attenuate these changes," the study authors concluded.

While the findings offer insights into the benefits of exercise on brain health in rats, the translation to human physiology remains a topic for further research. Although rats share similarities with humans, differences between species could impact outcomes, according to PsyPost.

The study's implications suggest that lifestyle factors, such as exercise, may play a pivotal role in maintaining cognitive health amid challenges posed by disruptions in gut microbiota.