Long-Term Voluntary Physical Exercise Exerts Neuroprotective Effects and Motor Disturbance Alleviation in a Rat Model of Parkinson’s Disease

Figure 3

Characteristics of stepping footprint during 1 s walkway locomotion in a prelesion, an 8-week post-PD-lesioned rat with sham treatment, and an 8-week post-PD-lesioned rat following long-term exercise training (a). Time course changes of walking speed (b), step length (c), stride length (d), base of support (e), stance/swing phase time (f, g), and double support time (h) in the affected hind limb in the sham and exercise training PD rats over an 8-week observation period. Note that the walking speed, step length, and stride length decrease significantly in the sham treatment group but show a less decrease in the exercise treatment group. , , and , significant difference between the two groups at each time point.

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