Exercise Promotes Glutamate Transporter-Mediated Glutamate Uptake in the Striatum to Regulate MSN Plasticity and Alleviate Behavioral and Functional Impairments in PD Rats

Clicks: 1
ID: 319749
2026
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal

Ranked #129 of 130 articles by views in the journals of gerontology series a, biological sciences and medical sciences

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale. Only the 120 most-read articles are drawn; the journal has 130 in total.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Abstract
This study investigated whether exercise ameliorates behavioral deficits in a rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD) by regulating medium spiny neuron (MSN) plasticity via striatal astrocytic excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs). The PD model was induced by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and confirmed by apomorphine rotation. Exercised rats underwent 4 weeks of treadmill training. We assessed motor function using beam walking and cylinder tests. Striatal pathology was evaluated via tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunohistochemistry, glutamate (Glu) ELISA, c-Fos tracing, Western blotting for GLAST/GLT-1/NMDAR, Golgi staining for dendritic spines, and in vivo local field potential (LFP) recording. Compared to controls, PD rats exhibited motor impairment, dopamine depletion, increased striatal Glu levels, NMDAR expression, and beta-oscillations, alongside reduced EAAT expression and spine density. Exercise significantly reversed these abnormalities and improved behavior. Notably, pharmacological blockade of EAATs in exercised rats completely abolished these neuroprotective effects, reinstating the PD phenotype. These findings indicate that treadmill exercise upregulates striatal EAATs (GLAST/GLT-1), enhances Glu uptake, reduces extracellular Glu, and suppresses NMDAR overactivation and beta-oscillations. This restoration of Glu homeostasis promotes MSN morphological and functional remodeling, serving as a critical mechanism for exercise-induced behavioral improvement in PD.
Reference Key
openalex_W7167498103 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Ping Chen, Wen-Hui Zhou, Guoyu Li, Quan Yang, Bing Liu, Xin-Yu Yi, Yuan Zeng
Journal the journals of gerontology series a, biological sciences and medical sciences
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/gerona/glag173
URL
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.