Research Article

Rotarod training reverses corticosterone-induced motor deficits via oligodendrocyte lineage cell modulation

  • Lee, Jada Chia-Di1
  • Lau, Benson Wui-Man2
  • Yau, Suk-Yu2
  • Wai-Hin, Leung Joseph2
  • Wong, Harmony Kai-Hei3
  • Vidana, Dalinda Isabel Sanchez2
  • Lee, Tatia M.C.5
  • Wu, Wu-Tian6
  • So, Kwok-Fai7,*

  • 1

    School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China

  • 2

    Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China

  • 3

    The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China

  • 4

    Laboratory of Neuropsychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China

  • 5

    Laboratory of Cognitive Affective Neuroscience, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China

  • 6

    Guandong-Hong Kong- Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration (GHMICR), Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China

  • 7

    Department of Ophthalmology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China

*

Correspondence to: Kwok-Fai So, PhD, [email protected].

Funding: This work was supported by Hong Kong Health and Medical Research Fund, No. 02133206 (to KFS).

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Neural Regeneration Research Publish Ahead of Print, July 05, 2025. | DOI: 10.4103/NRR.NRR-D-24-00448

Adult-born oligodendrocytes are continuously produced in the brains of rodents. The functional role of these cells has been linked to the motor-related activities of healthy animals and is vital for acquiring new motor skills. However, the relationship between these cells and the control of motor-related activities has not been investigated in pathological conditions. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the role of oligodendrocytes in depression-related motor deficits and the effects of training. Psychomotor retardation is a key symptom of depression. Consistent with the impairments observed in rodent motor performance, the proliferation and activation of adult-born oligodendrocytes are altered in a corticosterone-induced stress paradigm. Therapeutic rotarod training can alleviate these symptoms by reversing the aforementioned changes. Notably, these alterations are particularly pronounced in layer I of the motor cortex. Thus, this study provides evidence of the potential functional involvement of adult-born oligodendrocytes in the motor impairments observed in the depressed animals. Additionally, it offers preliminary results for further investigation into layer I of the motor cortex in relation to these pathological conditions.

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