The Effect Of Resistance Training, Anaerobic Training, Endurance Training, And Androgen Administration On Behavioral Changes

PURPOSE: Androgen steroids (AS) have been used to treat depression and cognitive dysfunction in older adults who are hypogonadal. However, the effect of its use on behavioral responses in young adults, in combination with exercise, is limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of endurance (ET), anaerobic interval (AN), and resistance training (RT), in combination with a supraphysiological dose of AS, on spatial memory and anxiety. METHODS: Eighty C57Bl/6 J mice (3-month-old) were randomized into three exercise and one sedentary (SED) group. Mice of each group were further randomized into a sham (S) or AS group. Mice in the AS (35 mg·kg-1 per week of nandrolone decanoate) and the sham mice received vehicle only injection. All drug and training modalities (3 days·wk-1) were 8-weeks in duration. A ladder-climbing model was used for the RT groups, and a treadmill-running model was used for the AN and ET groups. Behavioral tests included the Barnes maze and the elevated plus maze (EPM) to assess spatial learning and anxiety, respectively. RESULTS: For spatial learning, a main effect for exercise was noted in latency time (F=6.54, p=0.004), but not treatment (F=3.660, p=0.06). When collapsed across treatments, mice that exercised had lower average latency times than SED. No significant interaction (F=0.843, P=0.475) was observed for average latency time. Similarly, a main effect for exercise (F=4.77, P=0.004) but not treatment (F=0.738, p=0.394) was noted for learning slope. However, a significant interaction was noted in the learning slope (F=6.21, P=0.001). The Learning slope for AN-S was significantly greater than AN-AS (p=0.007) and SED-S (p=0.035). In addition, the learning slope was greater for RT-S and ET-AS compared to AN-S (p=0.017 and p=0.044, respectively). A significant interaction (F=3.24, P=0.027) was also noted in anxiety index. AN-S were less anxious (p’s < 0.05) than all other groups. In addition, AN-AS had a lower anxiety index than RT-S (p=0.042). No other differences were noted. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that AS use did not affect any of the behavioral measures assessed. Study supports previous research that reported that exercise is beneficial for memory. Unique to this study were the benefits of interval training compared to other modes of exercise on reducing anxiety. This research was funded by the Israel Scientific Foundation (#1984/21)