OBJECTIVE: To investigate the change rule of rat motor function with increasing age, and the improvement effect of exercise on the motor function of elderly rats.
Methods: 26-month-old, 8-month-old and 2-month-old SD rats were subjected to moderate-intensity treadmill exercise intervention for 2 weeks, and four functional indicators, including forelimb pulling force, endurance, body upward mobility and limit speed, were measured before and after exercise. , for a comparative analysis.
Results: ① The forelimb pulling force, endurance, body upward mobility, and ultimate speed of the 26-month-old rat group were significantly lower than those of the 8-month-old and 2-month-old groups, and the latter three indicators showed an age-related decline; ② The 26-month-old and The forelimb tensile force in the 8-month-old group was higher than that before the exercise, and the upward mobility of the body in the 8-month-old group and the 2-month-old group was higher than that before the exercise; The 26-month-old group was significantly higher after exercise than before exercise.
CONCLUSION: The four motor function indexes of rats, including forelimb pulling force, endurance, body upward mobility and extreme speed, decreased with age, which can be used as aging indicators of rat motor function. Moderate-intensity treadmill exercise can significantly improve the decline of total motor function in aged rats.