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and used as a defensive strategy by coaches that interfere in attacks. Karastergios, Skandalis, Zapartidis, and Hatzimanouil (2017) found that significantly higher fouls occur in the defense of winning teams in comparison to losing teams. However, injury-risked unsportsmanlike fouls such as hitting face, neck, and throat or pulling from the throwing arm and shirt require a punishment known as 2-min suspension (IHF, 2016; rule 8:4). A penalized players' team must play with numerical inferiority within the 2-min period which leads to disadvantages in both attack and defense. Šibila (2001) observed that teams played one of four attacks with numerical inferiority or superiority in international events. Handball players' tactical behaviors (offensive and defensive playing patterns) are affected by this numerical imbalance (Schrapf, Alsaied, & Tilp, 2017). Currently, players' exclusion-depended numerical asymmetry situations have increased in men's handball (Pueo & Espina-Agullo, 2017). After the exclusion of a player resulted in playing with numerical inferiority for 2 mins, the offensive performances

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Background: It is known that regular physical activity reduces anxiety. Low anxiety levels affect mood, emotions, and empathy. Oxytocin is a powerful hormone that regulates social interaction, sexual reproduction, maternal–infant bonding, milk release, empathy, and anxiety. Empathy is an important behavior in the living community; and also important for sportsmen during sportive competition and daily living life, because sportsmen are also role model of people. Aims: To investigate the effects of voluntary physical activity on oxytocin, anxiety, and empathy levels as well as the relationship between them. Study Design: Animal experiment. Methods: Male and female mice were made to exercise in running wheel cages for 6 weeks. Their empathy and anxiety levels were evaluated by using Helping Behavior test and elevated plus maze and open field test, respectively. And then the brain and blood oxytocin levels were measured. Results: Empathy-like behavior was improved in both genders of the exercise groups (door-opening time decreased in both genders of exercise groups, p for both=0.0001). As a response to exercise, both the brain and serum oxytocin levels increased in female mice (both of p=0.0001); however, in males, oxytocin levels increased in only the brain (p<0.05). Anxiety levels decreased in all the exercise groups (increased time spent in the middle area of open field test, both genders, p=0.002; increased time spent in the open arms of elevated plus maze test, females p=0.004, males p=0.0001). There was a strong negative correlation between serum oxytocin levels and door opening time of helping behavior equipment, and moderate negative correlation was found between the brain oxytocin levels and door-opening time of helping behavior equipment in females. However, there was no correlation between both the brain and serum oxytocin levels and empathy behavior in males. But there were very strong positive correlations between low anxiety indicators and both the brain and serum oxytocin levels in both the genders. Conclusion: Voluntary physical activity decreases anxiety and increases empathy-like behavior in mice; which is associated with increased oxytocin levels in female mice but not in male mice. Further research is required to investigate the mechanisms of exercise effect on anxiety and empathic brain pathways in males.

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Physical exercise improves learning and memory abilities by increasing the levels of several growth factors in the hippocampus. One growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), is primarily produced in the muscles and not only increases in the periphery during exercise but can also cross the blood-brain barrier. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of regular aerobic chronic exercise on different types of muscle fibers and the relationships between learning/memory and muscle induced-VEGF. Following a one-week adaptation period, male rats underwent treadmill training at a speed of 8 m/min for 30 min daily, 3 days a week for 6 weeks. Memory functions were evaluated using the Morris water maze. VEGF, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were measured in type 1 and type 2 muscle fibers and VEGF levels were also measured in the hippocampus. Exercise positively affected both learning and memory and also increased VEGF levels in both muscle fiber types. Muscle VEGF levels positively correlate with hippocampal learning and hippocampal VEGF levels. Exercise reduced both SOD and MDA levels in type 1 and type 2 muscle fibers, whereas GPx levels decreased only in type 2 muscle fibers. Our findings suggest that regular aerobic exercise elevates VEGF levels and diminishes oxidative stress in both fiber types. Exercise-induced VEGF levels in both type 1 and 2 muscle fibers appear to be associated with the positive effect of exercise on learning and memory function and is accompanied by an increase in VEGF levels in the hippocampus. Further research is needed to elucidate the exact mechanism by which fiber type-specific VEGF mediates hippocampal neurogenesis and angiogenesis.