Effect of caffeine supplementation during treadmill exercise on hippocampal genes expression levels in adolescent rats

Caffeine is a psychostimulant substance that is found in most foods, beverages, supplements and drugs, and its use is increasing, especially in young people. On the nervous system, caffeine blocks the effect of adenosine by acting antagonistically on adenosine receptors. Caffeine is effective on exercise as an ergogenic compound that increases endurance, performance, and strength. Exercise is a sub-branch of physical activity that people plan to be healthy and fit for a specific purpose. It is known that regular exercise has positive effects on learning and memory functions as well as the widespread effects it creates on the human body. In this study, the effect of caffeine supplementation along with exercise application on learning, memory and anxiety behavior was investigated. Postnatal 28 days old Wistar albino male rat (n=28); they were randomly divided into 4 groups as control group (C), caffeine group (Cf), exercise group (E), caffeine+exercise group (CfE) (n=7). Caffeine was dissolved in drinking water (0,3 g/L) and administered to the Cf and CfE groups throughout the 4-week experimental procedure. The treadmill exercise was applied 3 days a week for 4 weeks in the E and CfE groups. Exercise intensity was set at 0,5 km/h. After the experimental procedure, the learning and memory performances of the rats were evaluated with the Morris Water Maze Test (MWMT), and their anxiety levels were evaluated with the open field test. Hippocampus tissue was isolated from brain tissue of rats decapitated under anesthesia after open field test. N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors NR2A, NR2B and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene expression levels were investigated in hippocampus tissue by real-time PCR method. In MWMT, no significant difference was found in terms of learning and memory functions of the groups (p>0,05). In the open field test, the time spent in the center was found to be less in the CfE group, and the number of entering and leaving the center in the E and CfE groups compared to the control group (p<0,05). There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of hippocampal NR2A, NR2B and BDNF gene expression levels (p>0,05). It was concluded that caffeine given with exercise application caused anxiety behavior but did not affect learning and memory performance and hippocampal NR2A, NR2B, BDNF gene expression levels in adolescent rats.