Resistance-based exercise improves cognitive deficit and motor impairment induced by monosodium glutamate, the commonly used flavour enhancer.
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The team of researchers at the Federal University of Santa Maria in Brazil gave the experimental group of new-born rats a dose of MSG. This dose is not comparable to the dose humans eat.
Of the rats that were given MSG, half began a resistance exercise regimen at two months of age. The exercise consisted of climbing a ladder at an 80 degree angle. The rats performed these exercises five times per week for seven weeks.
After resistance exercise, researchers tested the rats' motor coordination and memory. Within the group injected with MSG, motor coordination was less impaired in both male and female rats that performed resistance exercise.
Memory also improved in both male and female rats, but it was a different type of memory in the two sexes. Recognition memory improved in male rats, whereas female rats had improved location memory.
To test both types of memory, researchers present rats with two objects. To test recognition memory, one object is replaced with a new one. To test location memory, one object is moved to a new location.
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Source-Eurekalert