The Effect of Long-Term Environmental Enrichment in Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion-Induced Memory Impairment in Rats

Abstract

Vascular dementia (VaD) is the second most common cause of dementia. It occurs when the cerebral blood supply is reduced by disarrangement of the circulatory system. Environmental enrichment (EE) has been associated with cognitive improvement, motor function recovery, and anxiety relief with respect to various neurodegenerative diseases and emotional stress models. The purpose of this study was to determine whether long-term EE influenced cognitive impairment in a rat model of chronic hypoperfusion induced by permanent occlusion of bilateral common carotid arteries (BCCAo). The Y-maze and Morris water maze tests were performed to evaluate the rats' cognitive functions. Also, the protein expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), phosphorylated cAMP-calcium response element binding protein (pCREB), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were confirmed by Western blot. The microvessels and angiogenesis-associated proteins in the hippocampal region were investigated using immunohistochemistry. The VaD + EE group showed significantly better cognitive functions than the VaD group in both the Y-maze and MWM tests. In addition, the VaD + EE group showed significantly increased expression of BDNF, pCREB, and VEGF in the hippocampus compared to the VaD group. Rats in the VaD + EE group also had increased length of microvessels and VEGF expression in the hippocampus. These results suggest that long-term EE exerts neuroprotective effects against cognitive impairment induced by chronic cerebral hypoperfusion through the enhancement of BDNF, pCREB, and VEGF expression and indicate that EE may be a good nursing intervention in vascular dementia patients.

Commentary: An interactive videogame for arm and hand exercise in people with Parkinson's disease: A randomized controlled trial

“…For example, in a study by Fontanesi et al ( 2015 ), patients with PD who underwent multidisciplinary intensive rehabilitation treatment (featuring aerobic training) saw both improvements in motor function and increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-tyrosine receptor kinase B (TrkB) pathway signaling. This relationship between exercise and increased BDNF expression has also been observed in other studies (e.g., Jeon and Ha, 2017 ; Park et al, 2017 ). Thus, physically demanding exercise protocols may induce improvement in motor function via an increased expression of BDNF, which has been implicated in synaptic transmission and formation, as well as long-term potentiation (Ohira and Hayashi, 2009 ).…”

Late Effects of 1H + 16O on Short-Term and Object Memory, Hippocampal Dendritic Morphology and Mutagenesis

“…The current study shows a lowered, but still positive, discrimination ratio in treated animals. Long-term housing under environmental enrichment has shown to improve cognition in rodents, and specifically, in those tested with the Y-maze (Chen et al, 2010;Hughes and Otto, 2013;Xing et al, 2016;He et al, 2017;Park et al, 2017). It is unclear whether these differences are due to time from irradiation or environmental enrichment.…”

Vasküler Demans Modelinde Çevresel Zenginleştirmenin Depresyon Benzeri Davranış, Kortikal ve Hipokampal BDNF ve IL-1β Seviyeleri Üzerine Etkisi

“…EE hipokampüsde hücresel, moleküler ve davranışsal olarak plastik değişiklikleri artırmaktadır (14,16). Bu etkilerinin yanısıra sıçanlarda EE'nin stres cevabını etkilediği, depresyon ve anksiyete benzeri davranışı azaltabildiği saptanmıştır (17,18). KSH uygulanan sıçanlarda EE'nin oligondendrosit kaybı, beyaz cevher hasarı (19) ve oksidatif stresi (2) azaltmada etkili olduğu görülmüştür.…”