Cognitive dysfunction after experimental febrile seizures

While the majority of children with febrile seizures have an excellent prognosis, a small percentage are later discovered to have cognitive impairment. Whether the febrile seizures produce the cognitive deficits or the febrile seizures are a marker or the result of underlying brain pathology is not clear from the clinical literature. We evaluated hippocampal and prefrontal cortex function in adult rats with a prior history of experimental febrile seizures as rat pups. All of the rat pups had MRI brain scans following the seizures. Rats subjected to experimental febrile seizures were found to have moderate deficits in working and reference memory and strategy shifting in the Morris water maze test. A possible basis for these hippocampal deficits involved abnormal firing rate and poor stability of hippocampal CA1 place cells, neurons involved in encoding and retrieval of spatial information. Additional derangements of interneuron firing in the CA1 hippocampal circuit suggested a complex network dysfunction in the rats. MRI T2 values in the hippocampus were significantly elevated in 50% of seizure-experiencing rats. Learning and memory functions of these T2-positive rats were significantly worse than those of T2-negative cohorts and of controls. We conclude that cognitive dysfunction involving the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex networks occur following experimental febrile seizures and that the MRI provides a potential biomarker for hippocampal deficits in a model of prolonged human febrile seizures.     

Long‐lasting modulation of synaptic plasticity in rat hippocampus after early‐life complex febrile seizures

A small fraction of children with febrile seizures appears to develop cognitive impairments. Recent studies in a rat model of hyperthermia‐induced febrile seizures indicate that prolonged febrile seizures early in life have long‐lasting effects on the hippocampus and induce cognitive deficits. However, data on network plasticity and the nature of cognitive deficits are conflicting. We examined three specific measures of hippocampal plasticity in adult rats with a prior history of experimental febrile seizures: (i) activity‐dependent synaptic plasticity (long‐term potentiation and depression) by electrophysiological recordings of Schaffer collateral/commissural‐evoked field excitatory synaptic potentials in CA1 of acute hippocampal slices; (ii) Morris water maze spatial learning and memory; and (iii) hippocampal mossy fiber plasticity by Timm histochemistry and quantification of terminal sprouting in CA3 and the dentate gyrus. We found enhanced hippocampal CA1 long‐term potentiation and reduced long‐term depression but normal spatial learning and memory in adult rats that were subjected to experimental febrile seizures on postnatal day 10. Furthermore, rats with experimental febrile seizures showed modest but significant sprouting of mossy fiber collaterals into the inner molecular layer of the dentate gyrus in adulthood. We conclude that enhanced CA1 long‐term potentiation and mild mossy fiber sprouting occur after experimental febrile seizures, without affecting spatial learning and memory in the Morris water maze. These long‐term functional and structural alterations in hippocampal plasticity are likely to play a role in the enhanced seizure susceptibility in this model of prolonged human febrile seizures but do not correlate with overt cognitive deficits.     

Hippocampal cell genesis does not correlate with spatial learning ability in aged rats

Aging in rodents is known to lead to deficits in spatial learning and memory, including decreased performance on the Morris water maze. Recent attention has focused on the possible role of adult hippocampal neurogenesis in regulating spatial learning and memory. Therefore, in this study, we have examined levels of hippocampal cell proliferation in relation to water maze performance in aged and young male Fischer 344 rats. Aged rats (24 months old) were divided into aged-unimpaired and aged-impaired groups based on comparison with performance of young animals. Animals received five daily injections of the thymidine-analog bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and were killed 1 week later. Total numbers of BrdU-labeled cells were quantified in the hippocampal dentate gyrus and hilus and were related to behavioral performance. Whereas aging was associated with a significant reduction in the number of BrdU-labeled cells, behavioral impairment with aging was not associated with a further reduction in BrdU labeling. In the context of aging, these finding do not support a direct relationship of adult hippocampal neurogenesis with learning and memory capability.     

Molecular mechanisms and the role of the protein kinase pathway in rat spatial memory impairment following isoflurane anesthesia

BACKGROUND:Animal experiments have demonstrated that isoflurane exposure alone induces learning and memory deficits for weeks or months. However, the molecular mechanisms of learning and memory remain poorly understood. Hippocampal expression of calcium/phospholipid- dependent protein kinase (PKC) and cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) in rats have been shown to be associated with memory processing. OBJECTIVE:To investigate changes in rat spatial memory and hippocampal CA1 neuronal kinase system following isoflurane anesthesia, and to explore the correlation between molecular changes in cerebral neurons and behavioral manifestations following anesthesia.DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING:A randomized, controlled, animal study. All experiments were performed at the Department of Anesthesia, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University from November 2007 to December 2008.MATERIALS:A total of 72 male, 3 month-old (young group), Sprague Dawley rats, and 36 male, 20 month-old (aged group), Sprague-Dawley rats were used in the study. Isoflurane was purchased from Baxter, USA. METHODS:Young and aged rats were randomly assigned to control, training (no anesthesia, Morris water maze training), and isoflurane (1.2% isoflurane, Morris water maze training) groups. The isoflurane group was further subdivided into four groups, which were exposed to anesthesia for 2 or 4 hours, and were subjected to Morris water maze training at 2 days or 2 weeks post- anesthesia. Finally, each aged group comprised 6 rats, and the young group comprised 12 rats. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:Spatial learning and memory were observed during Morris water maze training. Hippocampal CA1 PKA and PKC expression and activity were detected by immunohistochemistry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS:A 4-hour isoflurane exposure induced spatial memory deficits in all rats for 2 days to 2 weeks. In particular, aged rats exhibited more severe spatial memory deficits. Immunohistochemistry and ELISA results showed a significant increase in PKC and PKA expression and activity in the hippocampus CA1 subfield following Morris water maze training (P < 0.05). Moreover, isoflurane anesthesia inhibited PKC and PKA expression and activity, and this inhibition increased with increasing exposure duration and increasing age. CONCLUSION:Results suggested that increased isoflurane exposure and age could extensively inhibit the hippocampal CA1 kinase system. Inhibition of protein kinases could play an important role in the cognitive decline following anesthesia.     

大鼠出生前后胆碱补充对癫痫发作后认知功能的影响

目的 探讨出生前后胆碱补充或缺乏对癫痫发作后认知功能的影响。方法 3组大鼠自受孕后第11天至子鼠出生后第7天分别给予胆碱丰富、胆碱缺乏和正常胆碱含量的饮食。子鼠出生后第42天，海人酸诱导癫痫发作。癫痫发作10d后，用Morris水迷宫对大鼠空间学习记忆能力进行测试并测量海马中胆碱乙酰转移酶和乙酰胆碱酯酶的活性。结果 出生前后用胆碱丰富食物饲养的大鼠较胆碱缺乏饮食和服碱正常饮食饲养的大鼠在水迷宫测试中有较好表现。经胆碱缺乏饮食饲养的大鼠海马中胆碱乙酰转移酶的活性较对照组低18．8％，较胆碱补充组低21．3％。结论 出生前后饮食中补充胆碱可以减轻癫痫发作引起的认知功能损害，这一作用可能与海马内胆碱乙酰转移酶的水平有关。     

The effects of cerebellar damage on maze learning in animals

The role of the cerebellum in spatial learning has recently been investigated in genetically and non-genetically lesioned animal models, particularly in water mazes, in view of the minimal impact such lesions exert on swimming movements. A dissociation between place and cued learning in the Morris water maze has been observed in several models, including cerebellar mutant mice (Rora(sg), Nna1(pcd-1J), nervous), rats with lesions of either the lateral cerebellar cortex or the dentate nucleus, and rats with selective Purkinje cell loss caused by intracerebroventricular injections of OX-7-saporin, confirming the hypothesis that cerebellar damage may cause a cognitive deficit independently of fine motor control. In addition, the results of hemicerebellectomized rats indicate the probable involvement of the cerebellum in working memory and the procedural aspect of maze learning. The findings of impaired maze learning in cerebellar-lesioned mice and rats are concordant with those of deficient visuospatial functions in patients with cerebellar atrophy. The spatial deficits may be ascribed to altered metabolic activity in cerebellar-related pathways.     

Seizures in the developing brain cause adverse long-term effects on spatial learning and anxiety

PURPOSE: Seizures in the developing brain cause less macroscopic structural damage than do seizures in adulthood, but accumulating evidence shows that seizures early in life can be associated with persistent behavioral and cognitive impairments. We previously showed that long-term spatial memory in the eight-arm radial-arm maze was impaired in rats that experienced a single episode of kainic acid (KA)-induced status epilepticus during early development (postnatal days (P) 1-14). Here we extend those findings by using a set of behavioral paradigms that are sensitive to additional aspects of learning and behavior. METHODS: On P1, P7, P14, or P24, rats underwent status epilepticus induced by intraperitoneal injections of age-specific doses of KA. In adulthood (P90-P100), the behavioral performance of these rats was compared with that of control rats that did not receive KA. A modified version of the radial-arm maze was used to assess short-term spatial memory; the Morris water maze was used to evaluate long-term spatial memory and retrieval; and the elevated plus maze was used to determine anxiety. RESULTS: Compared with controls, rats with KA seizures at each tested age had impaired short-term spatial memory in the radial-arm maze (longer latency to criterion and more reference errors), deficient long-term spatial learning and retrieval in the water maze (longer escape latencies and memory for platform location), and a greater degree of anxiety in the elevated plus maze (greater time spent in open arms). CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide additional support for the concept that seizures early in life may be followed by life-long impairment of certain cognitive and behavioral functions. These results may have clinical implications, favoring early and aggressive control of seizures during development.     

Postictal single-cell firing patterns in the hippocampus

PURPOSE: Patients with epilepsy have varying degrees of postictal impairment including confusion and amnesia. This impairment adds substantially to the disease burden of epilepsy. However, the mechanism responsible for postictal cognitive impairment is unclear. The purpose of this study was to study single-cell firing patterns in hippocampal cells after spontaneous seizures in rats previously subjected to status epilepticus. METHODS: In this study, we monitored place cells and interneurons in the CA1 region of the hippocampus before and after spontaneous seizures in six epileptic rats with a history of status epilepticus. Place cells fire action potentials when the animal is in a specific location in space, the so-called place field. Place cell function correlates well with performance in tasks of visual-spatial memory and appears to be an excellent surrogate measure of spatial memory. RESULTS: Twelve spontaneous seizures were recorded. After the seizures, a marked decrease in firing rate of action potentials from place cells was noted, whereas interneuron firing was unchanged. In addition, when place cell firing fields persisted or returned, they had aberrant firing fields with reduced coherence and information content. In addition to postictal suppression of firing patterns, seizures led to the emergence of firing fields in previously silent cells, demonstrating a postictal remapping of the hippocampus. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that postictal alterations in behavior are not due solely to reduced neuronal firing. Rather, the postictal period is characterized by robust and dynamic changes in cell-firing patterns resulting in remapping of the hippocampal map.     

Impaired single cell firing and long-term potentiation parallels memory impairment following recurrent seizures

Patients with epilepsy are at substantial risk for memory impairment. Animal studies have paralleled these clinical observations, demonstrating impaired hippocampal function as measured by spatial memory in rodents subjected to seizures. However, the mechanism of seizure-induced hippocampal impairment is unclear. Here we investigated the effects of recurrent seizures on water-maze performance, a behavioural measure of learning and memory, long-term potentiation (LTP; considered a test of synaptic plasticity and memory) and place-cell firing patterns, a single-cell indicator of spatial memory. LTP and CA1 place-cell activity were examined in separate groups of freely moving rats, before and after 10 flurothyl-induced seizures. Water maze performance was examined in a third group of rats, five with previously induced seizures and five controls. Recurrent flurothyl seizures were associated with marked impairment in LTP and a reduction in the frequency of the peak theta power. Compared to baseline recordings, place-cell firing patterns following recurrent seizures were significantly less precise, had lower firing rates and were less stable. Impaired place-cell firing was seen as early as after two seizures and persisted at least 72 h after the last seizure. Water-maze performance was also significantly impaired in animals that underwent recurrent seizures. No cell loss or synaptic reorganization was observed in the hippocampus or in several other cortical areas that are vulnerable to seizures. These results demonstrate that relatively brief excitatory events, not producing visible cell damage, can nevertheless cause long-lasting changes in hippocampal physiology, observable as impairments in place-cell function, LTP and spatial memory.     

Behavioral effects of continuous hippocampal stimulation in the developing rat.

There is controversy as to whether prolonged seizures are more detrimental to the immature than the mature brain. To evaluate this question continuous hippocampal stimulation was used to induce prolonged limbic seizures in 20-, 30- and 60-day-old rats. The long-term effects on learning and activity level were then studied at age 80 days using the Morris water maze, a test of spatial learning and memory, and the open field test, a test of an animal's reaction to a novel environment. Limbic status epilepticus in 60-day-old but not 20- and 30-day-old rats caused long-term impairment of learning in the Morris water maze. No differences were noted between the control and the experimental animals in the open field test. These results suggest that the age of seizure onset is an important determinant of long-term cognitive sequelae.     

癫痫持续状态对发育期大鼠认知功能的影响及cAMP/PKA信号通路所起作用

目的 探讨癫痫持续状态(SE)对发育期大鼠认知功能的影响及环磷酸腺苷/蛋白激酶A(cAMP/PKA)信号转导通路在其中所起的作用.方法 SD大鼠32只按照完全随机数字表法分为SE组、生理盐水(NS)组,每组16只.戊四氮(PTZ)诱导大鼠SE,Morris水迷宫和Y迷宫实验观察大鼠学习记忆功能的改变,放射免疫分析法测定海马组织cAMP的含量,免疫组织化学方法检测海马各区PKA的表达.结果 SE组大鼠在Morris水迷宫中平均逃避潜伏期延长,原平台所在象限的游泳时间缩短,与NS组比较差异有统计学意义(P<0.05).在Y迷宫中达标所需的训练次数增多,24 h记忆保持率下降,与NS组比较差异有统计学意义(P<0.05).NS组大鼠海马cAMP的含量为(280.38±22.66)pmol/g,SE组为(147.25±16.83)pmol/g,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05).SE组CA3区和CA1区PKA的表达较NS组明显减少.结论 SE可以导致发育期大鼠认知功能障碍,其机制可能与cAMP/PKA信号转导通路的功能受损有关.

Abstract：

Objective To observe the influence of status epilepticus (SE) on cognitive function of immature rats and explore the role of hippocampal cAMP/PKA signaling pathway in cognitive function impairment of immature rats. Methods Immature male SD rats were assigned randomly to 2 groups: SE group, induced by intraperitoneal injection of pentylenetetrazole (PTZ, n=16), and normal saline control group (n=16). Learning and memory tests using the Morris water maze and Y-maze were performed 7 d after SE. After testing, alterations of content of cAMP were detected by radioimmunoassay,and the expression of PKA in the hippocampus was examined by immunohistochemistry. Results SE rats exhibited learning and memory deficits in the Morris water maze and Y-maze tests: as compared with those in the controls in Morris water maze, the mean escape latency of searching the platform obviously prolonged and the swimming time in the original platform region significantly shortened in SE rats (P<0.05); as compared with those in the controls in Y maze, the number of standard training times obviously increased and the rate of retention of memory significantly decreased in SE rats (P<0.05). At the same time, the cAMP content in hippocampus of SE rats ([147.25±16.83] pmol/g) was significantly lower as compared with that in controls ([280.38±22.66] pmol/g), and the expression of PKA in the CA3 and CA1 areas within hippocampal area of SE rats was obviously decreased as compared with that in controls (P<0.05). Conclusion SE could result in learning and memory deficits in immature rats, which may be related to the impairment of hippocampal cAMP/PKA signaling pathway.     

Water maze learning and hippocampal synaptic plasticity in streptozotocin-diabetic rats: effects of insulin treatment

Streptozotocin-diabetic rats express deficits in water maze learning and hippocampal synaptic plasticity. The present study examined whether these deficits could be prevented and/or reversed with insulin treatment. In addition, the water maze learning deficit in diabetic rats was further characterized. Insulin treatment was commenced at the onset of diabetes in a prevention experiment, and 10 weeks after diabetes induction in a reversal experiment. After 10 weeks of treatment, insulin-treated diabetic rats, untreated diabetic rats and non-diabetic controls were tested in a spatial version of the Morris water maze. Next, hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) was measured in vitro. To further characterize the effects of diabetes on water maze learning, a separate group of rats was pre-trained in a non-spatial version of the maze, prior to exposure to the spatial version. Both water maze learning and hippocampal LTP were impaired in diabetic rats. Insulin treatment commenced at the onset of diabetes prevented these impairments. In the reversal experiment, insulin treatment failed to reverse established deficits in maze learning and restored LTP only partially. Non-spatial pre-training abolished the performance deficit of diabetic rats in the spatial version of the maze. It is concluded that insulin treatment may prevent but not reverse deficits in water maze learning and LTP in streptozotocin-diabetic rats. The pre-training experiment suggests that the performance deficit of diabetic rats in the spatial version of the water maze is related to difficulties in learning the procedures of the maze rather than to impairments of spatial learning.     

Neonatal hippocampal damage in rats: Long-term spatial memory deficits and associations with magnitude of hippocampal damage

This study investigated the effects of neonatal hippocampal ablation on the development of spatial learning and memory abilities in rats. Newborn rats sustained bilateral electrolytic lesions of the hippocampus or were sham-operated on postnatal day 1 (PN1). At PN20–25, PN50–55, or PN90–95, separate groups of rats were tested in a Morris water maze on a visible “cue” condition (visible platform in a fixed location of the maze), a spatial “place” condition (submerged platform in a fixed location), or a no-contingency “random” condition (submerged platform in a random location). Rats were tested for 6 consecutive days, with 12 acquisition trials and 1 retention (probe) trial per day. During acquisition trials, the rat's latency to escape the maze was recorded. During retention trials (last trial for each day, no escape platform available), the total time the rat spent in the probe quadrant was recorded. Data from rats with hippocampal lesions tested as infants (PN20–25) or as adults (PN50–55 and PN90–95) converged across measures to reveal that 1) spatial (place) memory deficits were evident throughout developmental testing, suggesting that the deficits in spatial memory were long-lasting, if not permanent, and 2) behavioral performance measures under the spatial (place) condition were significantly correlated with total volume of hippocampal tissue damage, and with volume of damage to the right and anterior hippocampal regions. These results support the hypothesis that hippocampal integrity is important for the normal development of spatial learning and memory functions, and show that other brain structures do not assume hippocampal-spatial memory functions when the hippocampus is damaged during the neonatal period (even when testing is not begun until adulthood). Thus, neonatal hippocampal damage in rats may serve as a rodent model for assessing treatment strategies (e.g., pharmacological) relevant to human perinatal brain injury and developmental disabilities within the learning and memory realm. Hippocampus 7:403–415, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Spatial cognition following early-life seizures in rats: Performance deficits are dependent on task demands

Cognitive impairment is a common comorbidity in childhood epilepsy. Studies in rodents have demonstrated that frequent seizures during the first weeks of life result in impaired spatial cognition when the rats are tested as juvenile or adults. To determine if spatial cognitive deficits following early-life seizures are task-specific or similar across spatial tasks, we compared the effects of early-life seizures in two spatial assays: 1) the Morris water maze, a hippocampal-dependent task of spatial cognition and 2) the active avoidance task, a task that associates an aversive shock stimulus with a static spatial location that requires intact hippocampal–amygdala networks. Rats with early-life seizures tested as adults did not differ from control rats in the water maze. However, while animals with early-life seizures showed some evidence of learning the active avoidance task, they received significantly more shocks in later training trials, particularly during the second training day, than controls. One possibility for the performance differences between the tasks is that the active avoidance task requires multiple brain regions and that interregional communication could be affected by alterations in white matter integrity. However, there were no measurable group differences with regard to levels of myelination. The study suggests that elucidation of mild cognitive deficits seen following early-life seizures may be dependent on task features of active avoidance.     

PKA-CREB信号转导通路在大鼠慢性脑缺血所致认知功能障碍中的作用

目的:观察PKA-CREB信号转导通路在慢性脑缺血所致大鼠认知功能损害中的作用。方法:结扎大鼠双侧颈总动脉,制成慢性脑缺血模型,分缺血8周组和假手术对照组,术后第8周时用Morris水迷宫测定大鼠学习记忆能力。用Westernbloting检测大鼠海马胞核内PKAca及pCREB的表达。结果:缺血组与假手术组相比学习记忆能力明显下降(P<0.05),缺血组大鼠海马中PKAca及pCREB的表达与假手术组相比也下降(P<0.05),且两者之间的下降存在正相关关系。结论:PKA-CREB信号转导通路可能参与了慢性脑缺血所致大鼠认知功能的损害。     

Electrical induction of spikes in the hippocampus impairs recognition capacity and spatial memory in rats

In clinical studies, interictal EEG spikes (IS) have been associated with numerous neuropsychological abnormalities, ranging from transitory cognitive impairment to epileptic encephalopathies. Understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms of IS has been hampered by the lack of validated animal models. To mimic IS, a stimulating microelectrode was implanted in the ventral hippocampal commissure and a recording microelectrode in the CA1 region of the hippocampus of normal male rats. Spike patterns were induced using a series of electrical pulses 10-30 ms in duration with a frequency of 0.5-2Hz and a current of 0.2mA. The commissural stimulation-evoked population discharges in the hippocampus resembled naturally occurring IS in epileptic rats and, in no cases, resulted in behavioral seizures. For behavioral testing, the Morris water maze, radial arm maze, and object recognition tasks were used. Spikes were induced during sleep between the two sets of water maze trials; during the trials in the radial arm maze task; and prior to the sample phase and during the delay periods in the object recognition task. We demonstrated that rats that received spikes took longer to reach the escape platform in the second set of water maze trials; had significantly more reference errors and required more trials to complete the radial arm maze task; and had lower investigation ratios in the object recognition task. The results indicate that induction of spikes in the hippocampus results in impairment of spatial reference and nonspatial object recognition memory.     

Hippocampal kindled seizures impair spatial cognition in the Morris water maze

We investigated the effects of hippocampally kindled seizures on spatial performance of rats in the Morris water maze (MWM). Seizures were elicited with stimulation of field CA1 of dorsal hippocampus 25-45 min prior to daily testing in the water maze. One group of rats was naive to the MWM (acquisition groups), while another group received pretraining in the MWM (retention groups). These groups were further subdivided into rats that experienced non-convulsive seizures prior to daily testing and rats that experienced fully generalized convulsive seizures prior to daily testing. We found that CA1 seizures significantly disrupted water maze performance during both acquisition and retention, and the effects were similar when either non-convulsive or fully generalized convulsive seizures were evoked. Our findings are consistent with previous reports suggesting that epileptiform activity in the hippocampus acutely impairs performance in tasks sensitive to spatial learning and memory deficits and suggest that both new learning and demonstration of an established place response are susceptible to such disruption.     

A single early-life seizure impairs short-term memory but does not alter spatial learning, recognition memory, or anxiety

The impact of a single seizure on cognition remains controversial. We hypothesized that a single early-life seizure (sELS) on rat Postnatal Day (P) 7 would alter only hippocampus-dependent learning and memory in mature (P60) rats. The Morris water maze, the novel object and novel place recognition tasks, and contextual fear conditioning were used to assess learning and memory associated with hippocampus/prefrontal cortex, perirhinal/hippocampal cortex, and amygdala function, respectively. The elevated plus maze and open-field test were used to assess anxiety associated with the septum. We report that sELS impaired hippocampus-dependent short-term memory, but not spatial learning or recall. sELS did not disrupt performance in the novel object and novel place recognition tasks. Contextual fear conditioning performance suggested intact amydgala function. sELS did not change anxiety levels as measured by the elevated plus maze or open-field test. Our data suggest that the long-term cognitive impact of sELS is limited largely to the hippocampus/prefrontal cortex.     

Cytosine arabinoside treatment impairs the remote spatial memory function and induces dendritic retraction in the anterior cingulate cortex of rats

Clinical studies on cancer patients have revealed that chemotherapy is associated with long-term cognitive impairment. In the present study, we used a rat model to evaluate the effects of the anticancer drug cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) on spatial learning, memory, and the dendritic morphology of neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and hippocampus. The drug was observed to induce deficits in the long-term spatial memory function but not in the spatial learning and recent memory, as was assessed by performing the Morris water maze test. In the Ara-C treated rats, retraction of the apical dendrites was noted in the neurons in the ACC but not in the pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal region CA1. Our in vivo adult rat model of neurotoxicity provides data on the long-term cognitive and cellular morphometric alterations in the frontal lobes induced by Ara-C treatment. Retraction of the apical dendrites of the pyramidal neurons in the ACC may contribute to the remote spatial memory impairment induced by Ara-C treatment.     

远交系小鼠作为轻度认识障碍动物模型的可行性

轻度认知障碍（MCI）患者常进展为阿尔茨海默病,其最早症状之一是空间学习记忆的减退。终止或延缓这一顽固性疾病造成损害的最佳策略是使用该病变调剂或针对这些临床前症状的人群给予认知促进剂。但是迄今为止,尚缺少MCI的动物模型以帮助评估治疗策略的有效性。因此,本研究的目的是获得MCI的小鼠模型。分别对两个年龄组的小鼠（昆明5月和12.5月和ICR 7月和12月）进行了研究。 Morris水迷宫和六臂水迷宫被用来评估是否中年小鼠会表现出空间学习和记忆障碍。结果表明,与各自的年轻小鼠相比,中年鼠在这两种方法上存在明显空间记忆受损,在六臂水迷宫仅出现轻度空间学习的损害。因此,这些远交系鼠（昆明和ICR小鼠）可作为MCI的自然动物模型,特别是针对记忆障碍的研究。