Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition which can develop from exposure to a severe traumatic event such as those occurring during wars or natural disasters. Benzodiazepines and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are considered the gold standard for PTSD treatment, but their side effects pose a serious problem. While regular physical exercise is regarded as a mood elevator and known to enhance cognitive function, its direct role in rescuing core symptoms of PTSD including anxiety and depression-like behaviors and cognitive impairment is unclear. In the present study using the single-prolonged stress (SPS) rat model of PTSD (2h restrain, 20 min forced swimming, 15 min rest, and 1–2 min diethyl ether exposure), we examined the beneficial effect of moderate treadmill exercise on SPS-induced behavioral deficits including anxiety and depression-like behaviors and memory impairment. Male Wistar rats were randomly assigned into four groups: control (sedentary), exercised, SPS (no exercise), or SPS-exercised. Rats were exercised on a rodent treadmill for 14 consecutive days. Rats in all groups were tested for anxiety-like behaviors using open field (OF), light-dark and elevated-plus maze tests. All rats were tested for short-term and long-term memory in the radial arm water maze test. Rats were then sacrificed, blood was collected (for corticosterone levels), and individual organs (spleen, adrenals, and thymus) harvested. Results suggest that moderate physical exercise ameliorates SPS-induced behavioral deficits in rats.

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Imbert-Fedorov (IF) effects of a polarized laser beam reflected from a dove prism/ indium tin oxide (ITO) interface in the presence of electric and thermal fields are studied using a slit-beam profiler and Stokes polarimeters. The IF effects of the polarized laser beams are primarily influenced by an electric field when the external direct current (DC) voltage is below 1.0 V, and it is mainly influenced by the thermal field when the external DC voltage changes from 1.0 to 4.0 V. The results exhibit a high resolution of 3 Â 10 À3 C, due to the variation of the right-and left-circular polarization properties of the reflected linearly polarized laser beams. In view of this influence of electric and thermal fields on IF effects, the results can be applied in polarization optics, temperature sensing, and light manipulation.