Abstract
Purpose
We investigate the effects of environmental enrichment (EE) on morphological alterations in different brain structures of pup rats submitted to hydrocephalus condition.
Methods
Hydrocephalus was induced in 7-day-old pup rats by injection of 20% kaolin into the cisterna magna. Ventricular dilatation and magnetization transfer to analyze myelin were assessed by magnetic resonance. Hydrocephalic and control rats exposed to EE (n = 10 per group) were housed in cages with a tunnel, ramp, and colored plastic balls that would emit sound when touched. The walls of the housing were decorated with colored adhesive tape. Moreover, tactile and auditory stimulation was performed daily throughout the experiment. Hydrocephalic and control rats not exposed to EE (n = 10 per group) were allocated singly in standard cages. All animals were weighed daily and exposed to open-field conditions every 2 days until the end of the experiment when they were sacrificed and the brains removed for histology and immunohistochemistry. Solochrome cyanine staining was performed to assess the thickness of the corpus callosum. The glial fibrillary acidic protein method was used to evaluate reactive astrocytes, and the Ki67 method to assess cellular proliferation in the subventricular zone.
Results
The hydrocephalic animals exposed to EE showed better performance in Open Field tests (p < 0.05), while presenting lower weight gain. In addition, these animals showed better myelination as revealed by magnetization transfer (p < 0.05). Finally, the EE group showed a reduction in reactive astrocytes by means of glial fibrillary acidic protein immunostaining and preservation of the proliferation potential of progenitor cells.
Conclusion
The results suggest that EE can protect the developing brain against damaging effects caused by hydrocephalus.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to Antonio Renato Meirelles e Silva for his assistance with microscope photographs and Klaus Hartfelder for his assistance with English language. Financial support from Fundação de Apoio ao Ensino, Pesquisa e Assistência do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto da Universidade de São Paulo (FAEPA), and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) is gratefully acknowledged.
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All procedures involving animals were in accordance with guidelines established by the Colégio Brasileiro de Experimentação Animal (COBEA) and were approved by the Comissão de Ética em Experimentação Animal (CETEA), Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto—Universidade de São Paulo (USP).
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Research was performed at the Laboratório de Neuropatologia do Desenvolvimento e Neurocirurgia Pediátrica, Departamento de Cirurgia e Anatomia, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP), Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil.
Research was supported by Fundação de Apoio ao Ensino, Pesquisa e Assistência (FAEPA) of Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto (FMRP), University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil.
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Catalão, C.H.R., Shimizu, G.Y., Tida, J.A. et al. Environmental enrichment reduces brain damage in hydrocephalic immature rats. Childs Nerv Syst 33, 921–931 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-017-3403-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-017-3403-4