Nerve growth factor attenuates hippocampal cholinergic deficits and operant learning impairment in rats with entorhinal cortex lesions

Reduced cerebrospinal fluid and plasma nerve growth factor in drug-naïve psychotic patients

Impaired expression and function of several major neurotrophic factors such as nerve growth factor (NGF) has been proposed to contribute to the neurodevelopmental pathology of schizophrenia. However, the evidence in the majority of studies is based on variable and inconsistent levels of plasma NGF in diverse populations of early psychosis or medicated patients with chronic schizophrenia. We report here the first study comparing NGF levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma from a unique patient cohort (unmedicated, early psychotic patients with similar racial and dietary patterns) and matched healthy controls. Significantly lower levels of NGF in both CSF (p=0.038) and plasma (p=0.002) were observed in drug-naïve first-episode psychosis patients as compared to controls. The levels of NGF in the CSF correlated (p=0.05) to the plasma values in controls. The data on plasma NGF confirm the reported deficits of NGF in drug-naïve first-episode psychosis. The reduced levels first time observed here may have important implications to repeatedly reported neurobiological and clinical deficits which are discussed.

Transplantation of NGF-gene-modified bone marrow stromal cells into a rat model of Alzheimer' disease

It is well known that bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) grafted into the hippocampus of the rat model of Alzheimer's disease (AD) could survive and differentiate into cholinergic neurons as well as contribute towards functional restoration. The present study evaluated the effects of BMSC as a seed cell modified by nerve growth factor (NGF) gene into the hippocampus of AD rats. The beta-amyloid protein was injected bilaterally into the rat hippocampus to reproduce the AD model. After the human total RNA was extracted, the NGF gene was amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, then cloned into the pcDNA3. BMSC derived from a green fluorescence protein transgenic mouse were isolated, cultured, identified, and transfected by the NGF recombinant. The NGF-gene-modified BMSC were then transplanted into the hippocampus of AD rats. The results showed that implanted BMSC survived, migrated and expressed NGF as well as differentiated into ChAT-positive neurons. A significant improvement in learning and memory in AD rats was also seen in NGF-gene-modified BMSC group, when compared with the BMSC group. The present findings suggested that BMSC provided an effective carrier for delivery of NGF into AD rats, and the administration of NGF-gene-modified BMSC may be considered as a potential strategy for the development of effective therapies for the treatment of AD.

Differential role of entorhinal and hippocampal nerve growth factor in short- and long-term memory modulation

We studied the effects of infusion of nerve growth factor (NGF) into the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex of male Wistar rats (250-300 g, N = 11-13 per group) on inhibitory avoidance retention. In order to evaluate the modulation of entorhinal and hippocampal NGF in short- and long-term memory, animals were implanted with cannulae in the CA1 area of the dorsal hippocampus or entorhinal cortex and trained in one-trial step-down inhibitory avoidance (foot shock, 0.4 mA). Retention tests were carried out 1.5 h or 24 h after training to measure short- and long-term memory, respectively. Immediately after training, rats received 5 microl NGF (0.05, 0.5 or 5.0 ng) or saline per side into the CA1 area and entorhinal cortex. The correct position of the cannulae was confirmed by histological analysis. The highest dose of NGF (5.0 ng) into the hippocampus blocked short-term memory (P < 0.05), whereas the doses of 0.5 (P < 0.05) and 5.0 ng (P < 0.01) NGF enhanced long-term memory. NGF administration into the entorhinal cortex improved long-term memory at the dose of 5.0 ng (P < 0.05) and did not alter short-term memory. Taken as a whole, our results suggest a differential modulation by entorhinal and hippocampal NGF of short- and long-term memory.

Neonatal quinpirole treatment impairs Morris water task performance in early postweanling rats: relationship to increases in corticosterone and decreases in neurotrophic factors

BACKGROUND

Past studies from this laboratory have shown that quinpirole administration from postnatal day (P) 1-21 produces persistent supersensitization of the dopamine D2 receptor that persists throughout the animal's lifetime.

METHODS

In Experiment 1, both male and female rats were treated with quinpirole or saline from P1-21 and tested on the place and match-to-place versions of the Morris water task (MWT) from P22-28. In Experiment 2, both male and female rats were administered either acute or chronic injections of quinpirole (1 mg/kg) or saline beginning on P1 until analysis for corticosterone (CORT) on P7, 14, or 21.

RESULTS

Neonatal quinpirole treatment produced deficits on both versions of the MWT compared with saline control. One day after behavioral testing, brain tissue was harvested, and the hippocampus was analyzed for nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived nerve growth factor (BDNF); NGF was found to be significantly decreased by neonatal quinpirole treatment. Acute or chronic quinpirole treatment on P14 produced a larger increase in CORT than controls and produced larger increases in CORT than control rats on P21.

CONCLUSIONS

These results demonstrate that neonatal quinpirole treatment produces cognitive deficits that could be related to decreases in hippocampal NGF and increases in CORT, resulting in abnormalities in hippocampal development.