Akt dependent adult hippocampal neurogenesis regulates the behavioral improvement of treadmill running to mice model of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Physical exercise is well-established paradigm for improving adult neurogenesis and brain functions. As considered as an alternative therapeutic strategy, treadmill running could reduce cognitive impairment and psychiatric abnormalities associating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which might associate with the promote effects to adult neurogenesis. In current study, we aimed to address how treadmill exercise benefit adult hippocampal neurogenesis in PTSD model and the underlying molecular mechanism related with Akt signaling. PTSD was induced by exposure to aggressor and treatments were conducted with different intensity of compulsory treadmill running. We observed treadmill running improved hippocampal neurogenesis including proliferation and neural differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs). Moreover, behavioral tests showed treadmill could attenuate the cognitive deficit and depressive/anxiety like behaviors in correlating with PTSD model. Moreover, treadmill running recovered the Akt activity in hippocampus. Interrupting treadmill running administrated mice with Akt inhibitor GSK690693 resulted in the blocked the effects of treadmill running to hippocampal neurogenesis and behavioral improvement in PTSD mice model. In conclusion, treadmill running could mediate behavioral functions and improve hippocampal neurogenesis in PTSD model by regulating Akt signaling.