Environmental enrichment promotes neurogenesis and changes the extracellular concentrations of glutamate and GABA in the hippocampus of aged rats

Segovia, Gregorio; Yagüe, Almudena G.; García‐Verdugo, José Manuel; Mora, Francisco

doi:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2005.11.005

Cited by 143 publications

(99 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…However, given that the amphetamine-induced increase in glutamate was blocked completely by MK-801 in EC rats, an involvement of NMDA receptors is implicated. Consistent with this, compared to IC rats, EC rats have increased glutamate transmission in cortex and hippocampus (Nichols et al, 2007;Segovia et al, 2006) and decreased expression of NMDA receptor subunits in NAcc (Wood et al, 2005). The decrease in NMDA receptor expression in NAcc may represent a compensatory down-regulation in response to an enhanced glutamate signal.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

“…Previous reports indicate that environmental enrichment can produce structural, functional and biochemical modifications in neocortex and hippocampus (Jones et al, 1996;Kempermann et al, 1997). Environmental enrichment also has been found to increase neurogenesis, synaptic numbers, spine density, and growth factor expression in cortex and striatum (Comery et al, 1996;Jones et al, 1997;Pham et al, 1999;Segovia et al, 2006). Which one of these factors, if any, underline the enriched-induced increase in amphetamineinduced extracellular glutamate and aspartate levels in NAcc remains to be determined.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Enrichment has been shown to increase neurogenesis (Nilsson et al, 1999;Segovia et al, 2006), increase dendritic spines on medium size spiny neurons (Comery et al, 1996), increase synaptic density (Rampon et al, 2000) and increase the density of astrocytes (Pham et al, 1999). It is possible that these enrichment-induced modifications are associated with synaptic plasticity within the brain reward circuitry where glutamate neurotransmission plays a modulatory role (Wolf, 1998;Wolf and Xue, 1999;Giorgetti et al, 2001;Melendez et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental enrichment increases amphetamine-induced glutamate neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens: A neurochemical study

Rahman

Bardo

2008

Brain Research

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In addition to dopamine (DA), evidence indicates that glutamatergic regulation of the mesolimbic reward pathway is involved in mediating the abuse-related effects of psychostimulants, including amphetamine. Since rats raised in an enrichment condition (EC) during development are more sensitive to the locomotor stimulant effects of acute amphetamine compared to rats raised in an impoverished condition (IC), the present study examined amphetamine-induced extracellullar glutamate and aspartate levels in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) of EC and IC rats using in vivo microdialysis coupled with HPLC-electrochemical detection. Basal extracellular levels of glutamate or aspartate were not significantly different between EC and IC rats. Acute systemic amphetamine (0.5 or 2.0 mg/kg, sc) increased extracellular glutamate levels in NAcc of EC rats (137% or 305% of basal) and IC rats (120% or 187% of basal). Similarly, acute systemic amphetamine (0.5 or 2.0 mg/kg, sc) elevated aspartate levels in NAcc of EC rats (148% or 237% of basal) and IC rats (115% or 170% of basal). Glutamate levels were elevated by amphetamine to a greater extent in EC rats than in IC rats. Pretreatment with systemic MK-801 (0.25 mg/kg, ip), a non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, prevented the acute amphetamine-induced increase in extracellular glutamate and aspartate levels in NAcc. Overall, these results suggest that alterations in glutamate in the NAcc may be involved in the environment-dependent effects of amphetamine.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental enrichment increases amphetamine-induced glutamate neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens: A neurochemical study

Rahman

Bardo

2008

Brain Research

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“…The details of the antidepressant and proneurogenic effects of EE have been studied in different animal and disease models (eg see Leal-Galicia et al, 2007;Navailles et al, 2008;Schaeffer et al, 2009;Segovia et al, 2006;Sztainberg et al, 2010). However, there is still much to learn about the effects of EE in previously depressed and/or stressed animals, as well as the effect of pre-exposure to the same stressor.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antidepressant and Proneurogenic Influence of Environmental Enrichment in Mice: Protective Effects vs Recovery

Llorens‐Martin

Tejeda

Trejo

2011

Neuropsychopharmacol

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Physical-cognitive activity has long-lasting beneficial effects on the brain and on behavior. Environmental enrichment (EE) induces brain activity known to influence the behavior of mice, as measured in learned helplessness paradigms (forced swim test), and neurogenic cell populations in the hippocampal dentate gyrus. However, it is not completely clear whether the antidepressant and proneurogenic effects of EE are different in animals that are naive or pre-exposed to the stress inducing helplessness, and if this depends on the type of stressor. It also remains unclear whether differential effects are exerted on distinct neurogenic subpopulations. We found that EE has a protective effect in adult female mice (C57BL/6J) when exposed twice to the same stressor (forced swim test) but it has no influence on recovery. The repeated exposure to this stressor was analyzed together with the effects of EE on different neurogenic populations distinguished by age and differentiation state. Younger cells are more sensitive and responsive to the conditions, both the positive and negative effects. These results are relevant to identify the cell populations that are the targets of stress, depression, and enrichment, and that form part of the mechanism responsible for mood dysfunctions.

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“…The cortex and hippocampus are brain regions particularly vulnerable to aging and to neurodegenerative conditions commonly associated with aging (Jessberger and Gage 2008;Asha Devi 2009). Increased oxidative stress, changes in different neurotransmitter systems (Mora et al 2007), and decrease of spine densities and neurogenesis (Burke and Barnes 2006;Segovia et al 2006) are some of the underlying causes of general neuronal dysfunction with advancing age (reviewed in Fontán-Lozano et al 2008). Both of these brain regions exhibit high responsiveness to the beneficial effects of DR. Studies on the rodent central nervous system (CNS) have revealed that long-term DR can improve learning and memory, and diminish age-related behavioral impairments and cognitive decline (Means et al 1993;Halagappa et al 2007;Adams et al 2008) caused by disruptions of the pivotal brain functions associated with the cortex and hippocampus.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cholesterol metabolism changes under long-term dietary restrictions while the cholesterol homeostasis remains unaffected in the cortex and hippocampus of aging rats

Smiljanić

Vanmierlo

Djordjevic

et al. 2014

AGE

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Maintaining cholesterol homeostasis in the brain is vital for its proper functioning. While it is well documented that dietary restriction modulates the metabolism of cholesterol peripherally, little is known as to how it can affect cholesterol metabolism in the brain. The present study was designed to elucidate the impact of long-term dietary restriction on brain cholesterol metabolism. Three-month-old male Wistar rats were exposed to long-term dietary restriction until 12 and 24 months of age. The concentrations of cholesterol, its precursors and metabolites, and food-derived phytosterols were measured in the serum, cortex, and hippocampus by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Relative changes in the levels of proteins involved in cholesterol synthesis, transport, and degradation were determined by Western blot analysis. Reduced food intake influenced the expression patterns of proteins implicated in cholesterol metabolism in the brain in a region-specific manner. Dietary restriction decreased the concentrations of cholesterol precursors, lanosterol in the cortex, and lanosterol and lathosterol in the hippocampus at 12 months, while the level of desmosterol was elevated in the hippocampus at 24 months. The concentrations of cholesterol and 24(S)-hydroxycholesterol remained unaffected. Food-derived phytosterols were significantly lower after dietary restriction in both the cortex and hippocampus at 12 and 24 months. These findings provide new insight into the effects of dietary restriction on cholesterol metabolism in the brain, lending further support to its neuroprotective effect.

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Environmental enrichment promotes neurogenesis and changes the extracellular concentrations of glutamate and GABA in the hippocampus of aged rats

Cited by 143 publications

References 46 publications

Environmental enrichment increases amphetamine-induced glutamate neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens: A neurochemical study

Environmental enrichment increases amphetamine-induced glutamate neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens: A neurochemical study

Antidepressant and Proneurogenic Influence of Environmental Enrichment in Mice: Protective Effects vs Recovery

Cholesterol metabolism changes under long-term dietary restrictions while the cholesterol homeostasis remains unaffected in the cortex and hippocampus of aging rats

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