Effects of Diet and/or Exercise in Enhancing Spinal Cord Sensorimotor Learning

This study investigates whether a diet enriched with omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and curcumin, a compound found in turmeric, could enhance spinal cord learning in mice, especially when combined with voluntary exercise. Spinal learning was assessed using an instrumental learning paradigm where mice with spinal cord injuries learned to dorsiflex their paw to reduce electric shock exposure. The study found that mice fed a DHA/curcumin-supplemented diet, especially when combined with exercise, showed improved spinal learning compared to mice on a regular diet. This improvement was linked to increased levels of molecules associated with learning and plasticity in the spinal cord.

• 1
  A diet supplemented with DHA/Cur enhances spinal learning and increases the levels of several learning-related cellular markers.
• 2
  Diet supplementation with DHA/Cur and exercise have complementary effects on spinal learning.
• 3
  The diet containing DHA/Cur increased DHA and decreased AA levels in the spinal cord: the resulting decrease in the ratio of AA:DHA was correlated with a greater spinal learning ability.