Background
Diminished cognitive flexibility is a common form of executive dysfunction that
Conclusion
This study represents an attempt to better align preclinical and clinical implementations of EE and facilitate the uptake of this intervention in the clinical setting.
Results
Prefrontal cortex damage resulted in impaired reversal learning using the egocentric MWM and reduced physical activity in the running wheel, while social interaction was not affected. EE exposure (2 h/day, 5 days/week, for 5 weeks) improved cognitive flexibility in reversal learning of egocentric MWM for both stroke and sham rats. Comparison with existing method: As changes in cognition post-stroke can be subtle and difficult to detect using conventional behavioural assessment, we suggest that the implementation of individualized automated animal tracking as used herein will ultimately help decipher whether individual components of EE are important for promoting cognitive recovery post-stroke.