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• Exercise improved cognitive performance in control and VPA female rats. • Exercise did not drive the same cognitive benefits in VPA male rats. • Exercise increased BDNF and IL-6 levels in the hippocampus for exercised VPA females, VPA males and control males. • Exercise increased antioxidant muscle enzymes in a leg muscle of VPA animals. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by repetitive behaviors and altered communication abilities. Exercise is a low-cost intervention that could improve cognitive function and improve brain plasticity mechanisms. Here, the valproic acid (VPA) model was utilized to induce ASD-like phenotypes in rodents. Animals were exercised on a treadmill and performance was evaluated on a cognitive flexibility task. Biomarkers related to exercise and plasticity regulation were quantified from the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and skeletal muscle. Exercised VPA animals had higher levels of hippocampal BDNF compared to sedentary VPA animals and upregulated antioxidant enzyme expression in skeletal muscle. Cognitive improvements were demonstrated in both sexes, but in different domains of cognitive flexibility. This research demonstrates the benefits of exercise and provides evidence that molecular responses to exercise occur in both the central nervous system and in the periphery. These results suggest that improving regulation of BDNF via exercise, even at low intensity, could provide better synaptic regulation and cognitive benefits for individuals with ASD. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Adolescent valproic acid (VPA) female rats had enlarged frontal cortices compared to control females. • VPA female rats were impaired on the extra-dimensional shift phase of the task compared to control females. • Overgrowth of the prefrontal cortex regions was associated with reduced accuracy in an attentional set-shifting task. In order to develop better treatments for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) it is critical to understand the developmental trajectory of the disorder and the accompanying brain changes. This study used the valproic acid (VPA) model to induce ASD-like symptoms in rodents. Prior studies have demonstrated that VPA animals are impaired on executive function tasks, paralleling results in humans with ASD. Here, VPA adolescent female rats were impaired on a set-shifting task and had enlarged frontal cortices compared to control females. The deficits observed in the VPA female rats mirrors results in females with ASD. In addition, adolescent VPA females with enlarged frontal cortices performed the worst across the entire task. These brain changes in adolescence are also found in adolescent humans with ASD. These novel findings highlight the importance of studying the brain at different developmental stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]