3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) or ecstasy is a derivative of amphetamine that leads to long term potentiation (LTP) disruption in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG). Exercise has been accepted as a treatment for the improvement of neurodegenerative disease. Herein, the effects of exercise on the MDMA- induced neurotoxicity were assessed. Male Wistar rats received intraperitoneal injection of MDMA (10 mg/kg) and exercised for one month on a treadmill (Simultaneously or asynchronously with MDMA). LTP and expression of BDNF were assessed using electrophysiology and western blotting methods, respectively. MDMA attenuated the field excitatory post-synaptic potential (fEPSP) slope in comparison with the control group, whereas treadmill exercise increased this parameter when compared to MDMA group. Furthermore, BDNF expression significantly decreased in MDMA group and treadmill exercise could increase that. In conclusion, results of this study suggest that synchronous exercise is able to improve MDMA-induced LTP changes through increase of BDNF expression in the hippocampus of rats.
Keywords: BDNF; Ecstasy; LTP; Treadmill exercise.