Can physical exercise have a protective effect in an animal model of sleep-related movement disorder?

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether physical exercise (PE) has a protective effect in an experimental animal model of sleep-related movement disorder (All dopaminergic nuclei lesions with 6-OHDA). Rats were divided into four groups (Control PE-CTRL/PE, SHAM/PE, All lesion/NPE, All lesion/PE). Two experiments were performed: (1) the rats underwent PE before (2 weeks) and after (4 weeks) the All lesion; and (2) the rats underwent PE only after (4 weeks) the All lesion. Electrode insertion surgery was performed and sleep analyses were conducted over a period of 24 h (baseline and after PE) and analyzed in 6 blocks of 4 h. The results demonstrated that the All lesion produced an increased percentage of wakefulness in the final block of the dark period (37 am) and a significant enhancement of the number of limb movements (LM) throughout the day. Four weeks of PE was important for reducing the number of LMs in the All lesion group in the rats that performed PE before and after the All lesion. However, in the analysis of the protective effect of PE on LM, the results showed that the number of LMs was lower at baseline in the group that had performed 2 weeks of PE prior to the All lesion than in the group that had not previously performed PE. In conclusion, these findings consistently demonstrate that non-pharmacological manipulations had a beneficial effect on the symptoms of sleep-related movement disorder. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.