Effect of willed movement training on neurorehabilitation after focal cerebral ischemia and on the neural plasticity-associated signaling pathway

Abstract

Neurorehabilitation training is a therapeutic intervention for the loss of neural function induced by focal cerebral ischemia, however, the effect varies depending on the neurorehabilitation exercises. Willed movement (WM) training is defined as task‑oriented training, which increases enthusiasm of patients to accomplish a specific task. The current study was performed to the evaluate effect of WM training on neurorehabilitation following focal cerebral ischemia, and further investigate the influence on neural plasticity‑associated signaling pathway. Sprague‑Dawley rats following temporary middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) were randomly divided into four groups: tMCAO (no rehabilitation training), CR (control rehabilitation), EM (environmental modification) and WM groups. Rats in the CR group were forced to exercise (running) in a rotating wheel. In the WM group, food was used to entice rats to climb on a herringbone ladder. Herringbone ladders were also put into the cages of the rats in the CR and EM groups, however without the food attraction. WM group exhibited an improvement in neurobehavioral performance compared with other groups. TTC staining indicated an evident reduction in brain damage in the WM group. There were increased synaptic junctions following WM training, based on the observations of transmission election microscopy. Investigation of the molecular mechanism suggested that WM training conferred the greatest effect on stimulating the extracellular signal‑related kinase (ERK)/cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element‑binding protein 1 (CREB) pathway and glutamate receptor 2 (GluR2)/glutamate receptor interacting protein 1‑associated protein 1 (GRASP‑1)/protein interacting with C‑kinase 1 (PICK1) cascades among groups. Collectively, the improvement of neurobehavioral performance by WM training following tMCAO is suggested to involve the ERK/CREB pathway and GluR2/GRASP‑1/PICK1 cascades. The present study provided a preliminary foundation for future research on the therapeutic effect of WM training against stroke‑induced neuron damage.

Genome-wide transcriptome analysis using RNA-Seq reveals a large number of differentially expressed genes in a transient MCAO rat model

“…MRI and pathomorphological results showed that the specific tMCAO model used in the present study (mode and time of occlusion and reperfusion) allowed the induction of a focal ischemic injury with a predominant subcortical localization. Unlike postmortem triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining, which is used often to localize the area of ischemia [ 20 , 29 – 31 ], MRI allowed us to localize the emerging ischemic damage in each animal in vivo and to observe the dynamics of its development (Fig. 1 ).…”

Neuroprotective Effect of Physical Activity in Ischemic Stroke: Focus on the Neurovascular Unit

“…Similarly, swimming preconditioning improves the neurological outcome of cerebral ischemia in long-term ovariectomy rats, which is related to the activation of the ERK1/2/CREB/BDNF signaling pathway ( Zhang et al, 2018 ). Zhou et al (2018) discovered that the improvement of neurobehavioral performance by Willed movement training, following tMCAO, has been suggested to be involved in the ERK/CREB pathway. Notably, there was a region-specific discrepancy between ERK and CREB phosphorylation in a swim stress study ( Shen et al, 2004 ).…”

Efeitos do exercício físico na prevenção e tratamento de lesões por isquemia: uma revisão de literatura

“…In a survey, it was possible to observe that movement training based on will, search for food, for example, exhibited an improvement in neurobehavioral performance in comparison to other types of training 64 .…”