This study assessed the effect of swimming training on anxiety-like behaviors and corticosterone. Thirty adult male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to five study conditions: swimming training (ST); exposure to chronic mild stress (CS); exposure to chronic mild stress followed by swimming training (CS + ST); exposure to chronic mild stress followed by a recovery period (CS + recovery); control. The exercise training consisted of 60 min of swimming exercise per day, for five days a week, and four consecutive weeks. A chronic mild stress program (CMS) was applied for a period of four weeks. Anxiety-like behaviors were measured by open field test (OFT). The number of excrements and blood corticosterone were used as physiological parameters of anxiety. To assess corticosterone, blood samples were taken 48 h after the last session of experiments. Compared to other study conditions, the lowest anxiety-like behaviors and corticosterone concentrations were observed in the ST condition in unstressed rats. In stressed rats, as in the ST + CS group, swimming training probably reduced some anxiety behaviors, but the results showed increased corticosterone compared to control and CS + Recovery. Anxiety parameters and corticosterone concentrations were greatest in the CS condition. In the ST group, anxiety parameters were less than for the ST + CS group. In the CS + Recovery group, anxiety parameters were less than for the CS group. In summary, self-paced swimming training could attenuate some anxiety parameters in both stressed and non-stressed rats. The effect of swimming training in unstressed rats was more prominent than in stressed rats. In stressed rats, a period of recovery was more effective than swimming training in reducing corticosterone. Mechanisms of anxiety reduction other than cortisol should be investigated in future research.

Evidence supports the role of exercise training and probiotics on reducing obesity. Considering the relationship between obesity and high-fat diet with anxiety indices, the aim of this study was to assess the effect of probiotic supplementation and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on anxiety-like behaviors, corticosterone and obesity indices in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity mice. Thirty male adult C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into five groups: (1) Control with normal diet (CON), (2) High-fat diet (HFD), (3) HFD + exercise training (HT), (4) HFD + probiotics supplement (HP) and (5) HFD + exercise training +probiotics (HTP). Exercise training consisted of 8 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) programs. Probiotics supplement included 0.2 mL Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. Anxiety-like behaviors were measured by open field (OF) and Elevated plus maze (EPM). OF and EPM tests, visceral fat mass (VFM) measurement, and blood sampling for corticosterone were performed after the intervention. Bodyweight was measured at different stages during the intervention. HFD regime in C57BL/6 mice increased bodyweight, VFM, and serum corticosterone levels and anxiety-like behaviors (p < 0.05). HIIT, probiotic and their combination, decreased bodyweight, VFM, and serum corticosterone levels and improved anxiety-like behavior in the HFD mice (p < 0.05). The effect of a combination of HIIT and probiotic on most of the anxiety indices was more than each one separately (p < 0.5). HIIT and probiotic supplements separately or above all in combination, may have beneficial effects in reducing obesity and anxiety indices.

Awareness of the psychological issues of different groups of society can help in the management of sports programs and thus improve their athletic performance. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between the big five personality traits and the sports performance of disabled athletes in team sports. Three hundred and seventy-six team athletes participated in the study. Subjects completed a questionnaire of five major personality factors, and based on the information available on the provincial boards and the Veterans and Disabled Federation, the positions obtained by each athlete were considered as a criterion for sports performance. There was a significant relationship between the flexibility factor for men and women ( r = 0.123 , p = 0.017 ), neuroticism ( r = 0.114 , p = 0.027 ), adaptation ( r = 0.171 , p = 0.001 ), extraversion ( r = 0.157 , p = 0.002 ), duty orientation ( r = 0.104 , p = 0.045 ), and sports performance at a national level. There was a significant relationship between neuroticism ( r = 0.142 , p = 0.006 ), adaptation ( r = 0.133 , p = 0.010 ), extraversion ( r = 0.163 , p = 0.002 ), and duty orientation ( r = 0.130 , p = 0.011 ) with sports performance at a provincial level. There was a significant relationship between neuroticism ( r = 0.156 , p = 0.002 ), extraversion ( r = 0.168 , p = 0.001 ), duty orientation ( r = 0.182 , p = 0.001 ), and sports performance at international level. Disabled athletes seem to have above-average performance scores in most personality factors, which can improve their physical health and increase their success in sports.

This study assessed the effect of swimming training on morphology (Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), dark cells and thickness of CA1 and DG) of the hippocampus and spatial memory performance in young male rats exposed to chronic stress. Adult male wistar rats were randomly assigned to five groups: swimming training (ST); exposure to chronic mild stress (CS); exposure to chronic mild stress followed by swimming training (CS + ST); exposure to chronic mild stress followed by a recovery period (CS + recovery); control group with no exercise or stress intervention. Spatial memory was measured by Morris Water Maze (MWM). Results: The lowest GFAP and number of dark cells, the highest thickness of CA1, DG, and spatial memory performance were observed in the ST group. In the CS + ST group, swimming training reduced GFAP and the number of dark cells, increased thickness of CA1 and DG, and memory performance, compared to control and CS + Recovery. In the CS group, GFAP and the number of dark cells were highest and thickness of CA1 and DG were lowest among the study groups. In the CS + Recovery group, GFAP, and the number of dark cells were lower, compared to the CS group. Conclusion: swimming training could attenuate astrogliosis and the number of dark cells in both stressed and non-stressed rats and its effect on non-stressed rats was more prominent than in stressed rats. Among young male rates, swimming training could improve stress-induced spatial memory performance and hippocampal morphology.

The aim of this study was evaluating the effect of running training (RT) on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptor TrKB, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), dark neurons and thickness of CA1 and dentate gyrus (DG), corticosterone and spatial memory performance in adult male rats exposed to chronic stress. Adult male wistar rats were randomly assigned to five groups: RT; exposure to chronic mild stress (CS); exposure to chronic mild stress followed by running training, (CS + RT), (CS + Recovery); control group. Findings indicated that the lowest expression of GFAP, number of dark neurons and corticosterone level, the highest thickness of CA1, DG, BDNF and TrKB and spatial memory performance were observed in the RT group. In the CS + RT group, expression of GFAP, the number of dark neurons and corticosterone level were lower, while thickness of CA1 and DG, BDNF, TrKB and spatial memory performance were higher compared to control and CS + Recovery. In the CS group, the expression of GFAP, the number of dark neurons and corticosterone level were highest and thickness of CA1 and DG, BDNF, TrKB and spatial memory performance were lowest among the study groups. In the CS + Recovery group, the expression of GFAP, the number of dark neurons and corticosterone level were lower, compared to the CS group. The study revealed that running training could attenuate the expression of GFAP, the number of dark neurons, corticosterone level and improve stress-induced reduction of BDNF, TrKB and spatial memory.