Effect of Sex Difference in HPA Axis Response to Involuntary Moderate Exercise in PTSD Rats

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that develops after an individual has experienced a major trauma and have special symptoms for example: inability to extinguish fear memories, increase behavioral anxiety, disturbance in HPA axis and BDNF decrease. Moderate response rates and side effects to common treatment indicate an urgent need for the development of new treatment. Physical activity is known to improve symptoms of certain neuropsychiatric disorders. Interaction between stress, fear and sex are related to activity in HPA axis, and Stress response is moderated by these factors. This regulation is damaged in PTSD. Response to stress is not to same in male and female. In female this axis have faster responses and release more stress hormones than male. Estrogen and testosterone control HPA axis response. Testosterone inhibit HPA axis response and estrogen increasing activity in this axis. The present study investigated theeffects of moderate treadmill exercise on HPA axis dysfunction in PTSD rats. Materials and Methods: We used to single prolonged stress (SPS) model as animal model for PTSD. The rats divided two groups; SPS and Sham group. Rats in SPS group were exposed to (restraint for 2 h, forced swimming for 20 min and ether anesthesia) and were then kept undisturbed for 14 days. After that, SPS rats were subjected to moderate treadmill running (4 weeks, 5 days per week) and the followed by HPA axis activity in male and female PTSD rats by DST. Results: SPS male and female rats exhibited enhanced negative feedback on the HPA axis following a dexamethasone suppression test.Conclusion:Moderate treadmill exercise alleviated the SPS-induced alterations in HPA axis inhibition and there was no significant difference between male and female rats response to exercise.