2022 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
identifying and strenghtening the neural circuits of positive motivation
| Project/Area Number |
22K11601
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| Research Institution | University of Tsukuba |
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Principal Investigator |
グレニエ フランソワ 筑波大学, 体育系, 研究員 (90738692)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
征矢 英昭 筑波大学, 体育系, 教授 (50221346)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2022-04-01 – 2024-03-31
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| Keywords | Motivation / Exercise / Electrophysiology / Treadmill / Running / Brain oscillations / Hippocampus / Health |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
We are studying the brain networks involved in the positive motivational impact of light-exercise running (LER) in rats. We have established a method to perform electrical activity recordings of different brain regions before, during and after (LER) on a treadmill. The positive activating impact of LER was revealed by a general increase in wake and a specific increase in hippocampal theta waves (HTW) during and after exercise. These HTW are involved in alertness, locomotion and cognitive processes. Our preliminary results also showed that transfer to the treadmill is itself an activating event. We therefore used these early results to modify our protocol to enhance the contrast between running and sedentary group by increasing the period of rest before LER.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
From our preliminary results, we perfected our LER protocol and electrophysiological recordings, which we can perform DURING the LER. We are now ready to extend brain electrical recordings from hippocampus and cortex to other important regions for positive motivation. These synchronous recordings will allow us to identify which regions and activities are especially involved in positive behaviour, as we had planned. We are also ready to implement the T-maze behavioral test to measure the positive behavioral impact of LER. As an added dimension to our project, we have also started working with a telemetry system that will allow us to follow the general effect of LER on physical activity by measuring the movement of rats continuously for 24 hours over many days.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
We intend to continue the work as originally planned:
Perform the brain electricalrecordings with treadmill LER with different brain regions at the same time. We will implement the motivational behavioral test (a simple T-maze with binary choice). In addition to our original plan, we will integrate the telemetry system into the whole procedure to add the physical activity component to the electrophysiological data.
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