The Effects of Exercise and Vinpocetine on the Male and Female Heart and Lifespans of Drosophila Melanogaster

Event Center A & B

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia and is characterized by increasing mental decline as the disease progresses. Drosophila is often used to study Alzheimer’s disease and has also been identified as a good model to study heart function. Alzheimer’s has recently been associated with cardiac dysfunction. Vinpocetine is currently used to treat Alzheimer’s disease in Europe but is currently classified as a herbal supplement in the United States. Differences between the sexes were studied with a lifespan assay and heart rate assay for four groups; vinpocetine treatment only, vinpocetine treatment with exercise, exercise only and a control. This study utilized one day old A?-42 and OOC Drosophila melanogaster. Heart rates were counted manually and flies were exercised using a Hybaid oven at 26°C at 5 rpm for increasing amounts of time each week. It is expected that vinpocetine alone and vinpocetine with exercise as well as exercise only will extend the lifespan of the A?-42 flies. The flies treated with exercise and vinpocetine are expected to live longer than vinpocetine or exercise alone. It is also expected that the heart rate of the exercised flies will remain slower than the flies that have not been exercised. This study is currently in progress and future studies will include heart function analysis by semiautomatic optical heartbeat analysis (SOHA v.3) which will allow for better determination of heart function such as measurements of diastole and systole.