Environmental influences on functional outcome after a cortical infarct in the rat

• Published in: Brain research bulletin Vol. 58; no. 3; pp. 315 - 321
• Main Authors: Risedal, Anette, Mattsson, Bengt, Dahlqvist, Per, Nordborg, Claes, Olsson, Tommy, Johansson, Barbro B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.07.2002; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Activity-induced stress; Animals; Basic Medicine; Behavior, Animal - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Body Weight - physiology; Brain - physiopathology; Brain-derived neurotrophic factor; Cerebral Cortex - pathology; Cerebral Cortex - physiopathology; Cerebral Infarction - physiopathology; Enriched environment; Environment, Controlled; Exercise Therapy; Experimental stroke; Functional Laterality - physiology; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery - physiopathology; Medical and Health Sciences; Medical sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper; Motor Activity - physiology; Neurology; Neurosciences; Neurovetenskaper; Rats; Rats, Inbred SHR; Recovery of Function - physiology; Sensory Deprivation - physiology; Social Behavior; Social Isolation - psychology; Stress, Physiological - pathology; Stress, Physiological - physiopathology; Vascular diseases and vascular malformations of the nervous system; Wheel-running; Brain-derived neurotrophic factor; Wheel-running; Experimental stroke; Activity-induced stress; Enriched environment; Cerebral infarction; Nervous system diseases; Cerebral cortex; Rat; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Cardiovascular disease; Stimulating environment; Cerebral disorder; Vascular disease; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Animal; Central nervous system disease; Brain derived neurotrophic factor; Cerebrovascular disease; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0361-9230; 1873-2747; 1873-2747
• DOI: 10.1016/S0361-9230(02)00796-7

The effect of postoperative housing conditions on functional outcome and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene expression was evaluated 1 month after a distal ligation of the right middle cerebral artery (MCA) in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Two days postoperatively the rats were randomized into four groups; individually housed with no equipment (deprived group), individually housed with free access to a connected running wheel (running group), housed together in a large cage with no equipment (social group) or in the same size of cage furnished with bars, chains and various things to manipulate (enriched group). The enriched rats had significantly higher scores when crossing a rotating horizontal rod than deprived and running rats. The social group performed significantly better than the deprived group. The BDNF gene expression in the ipsi- and contralateral cortex, thalamus, hippocampus and cerebellum did not significantly differ between the groups. The weight of the adrenal glands was significantly increased in running rats suggesting that postischemic running may be stressful. We conclude that the beneficial effect of postischemic environmental enrichment is likely to be a combination of social and various physical activities, and that BDNF gene expression 1 month after a cortical infarct did not correlate with functional outcome.