Differential effects of voluntary and forced exercise trainings on spatial learning ability and hippocampal biomarkers in aged female rats

•We compare the effects of voluntary, and forced exercise trainings on cognitive functions in healthy ages rats.•We also compare the effects of voluntary, and forced exercise trainings on hippocampal synaptic proteins, neurotrophic factors and markers of oxidative damage.•Voluntary exercise seems to be a more effective intervention to improve spatial learning ability compared to compulsive exercise in the aging process.•Increased neurotrophic factors, synaptic proteins, and improved oxidative damage could mediate these beneficial effects. This study aimed to compare the effects of voluntary and forced exercise trainings on cognitive functions and to evaluate their relationship with hippocampal synaptic proteins, neurotrophic factors and markers of oxidative damage in aged female rats. Aged female rats were randomly assigned to control, voluntary exercise training and forced exercise training groups. Voluntary or forced exercise trainings were performed for 12 weeks. At the end of the training period, cognitive functions of the animals were assessed with Morris water maze (MWM) test. After the behavioral test, hippocampus tissues were taken for the analysis of synaptophysin, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF), malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyl (PC), glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). During the MWM test, the number of platform crossings was higher in the voluntary exercise group than in the control group (P