Regions of the basal ganglia and primary olfactory system are most sensitive to neurodegeneration after extended sevoflurane anesthesia in the perinatal rat

Extended general anesthesia early in life is neurotoxic in multiple species. However, little is known about the temporal progression of neurodegeneration after general anesthesia. It is also unknown if a reduction in natural cell death, or an increase in cell creation, occurs as a form of compensation after perinatal anesthesia exposure. The goal of this study was to evaluate markers of neurodegeneration and cellular division at 2, 24, or 72 h after sevoflurane (Sevo) exposure (6 h) in fully oxygenated postnatal day (PND) 7 rats. Neurodegeneration was observed in areas throughout the forebrain, while the largest changes (fold increase above vehicle) were observed in areas associated with either the primary olfactory learning pathways or the basal ganglia. These regions included the indusium griseum (IG, 25-fold), the posterior dorso medial hippocampal CA1 (17-fold), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (Bed Nuclei STM, 5-fold), the shell of the nucleus accumbens (Acb, 5-fold), caudate/putamen (CPu, 5-fold), globus pallidus (GP, 9-fold) and associated thalamic (11-fold) and cortical regions (5-fold). Sevo neurodegeneration was minimal or undetectable in the ventral tegmentum, substantia nigra, and most of the hypothalamus and frontal cortex. In most brain regions where neurodegeneration was increased 2 h post Sevo exposure, the levels returned to <4-fold above control levels by 24 h. However, in the IG, CA1, GP, anterior thalamus, medial preoptic nucleus of the hypothalamus (MPO), anterior hypothalamic area (AHP), and the amygdaloid nuclei, neurodegeneration at 24 h was double or more than that at 2 h post exposure. Anesthesia exposure causes either a prolonged period of neurodegeneration in certain brain regions, or a distinct secondary degenerative event occurs after the initial insult. Moreover, regions most sensitive to Sevo neurodegeneration did not necessarily coincide with areas of new cell birth, and new cell birth was not consistently affected by Sevo. The profile of anesthesia related neurotoxicity changes with time, and multiple mechanisms of toxicity may exist in a time-dependent fashion.

Alternative Method to Detect Neuronal Degeneration and Amyloid β Accumulation in Free-Floating Brain Sections With Fluoro-Jade

Fluoro-Jade is a fluorescein-derived fluorochrome which specifically binds to damaged neurons. Due to this characteristic, it is commonly used for the histochemical detection and quantification of neurodegeneration in mounted brain sections. Here, we describe an alternative and simpler histochemistry protocol based on the use of free-floating brain sections. For this purpose, we have used brain slices from wild-type and 5xFAD mice as well as from mice that received an intracerebral injection of oligomeric amyloid beta peptides. We observed that our histochemistry staining procedure allows for a well-defined labeling of degenerating neurons providing a better signal-to-noise ratio staining than the commonly used one. In addition, our modified protocol demonstrates the ability of Fluoro-Jade C to also fluorescently label amyloid beta plaques.

Neuroprotective effects of enriched environment housing after transient global cerebral ischaemia are associated with the upregulation of insulin-like growth factor-1 signalling

Aims

Use of enriched environment (EE) housing has been shown to promote recovery from cerebral ischaemic injury but the underlying mechanisms of their beneficial effects remains unclear. Here we examined whether the beneficial effects of EE housing on ischaemia‐induced neurodegeneration and cognitive impairment are associated with increased insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) signalling in the hippocampus.

Methods

Forty‐two adult male Wistar rats were included in the study and received either ischaemia or sham surgery. Rats in each group were further randomized to either: EE or standard laboratory cage housing (control). Rats were placed in their assigned housing condition immediately after recovery from anaesthesia. Behavioural testing in the cued learning and discrimination learning tasks were conducted 2 weeks after ischaemia. Rats were euthanized after behavioural testing and the hippocampus was analysed for IGF‐1 level, IGF‐1 receptor (IGF‐1R) activation, protein kinase B (Akt) pathway activation, neurone loss and caspase 3 expression.

Results

Our data showed that EE housing: (1) mitigated ischaemia‐induced neuronal loss; (2) attenuated ischaemia‐induced increase in caspase 3 immunoreactivity in the hippocampus; (3) ameliorated ischaemia‐induced cognitive impairments; and (4) increased IGF‐1R activation and signalling through the Akt pathway after ischaemic injury.

Conclusion

Ultimately, these findings suggest the possibility that IGF‐1 signalling may be one of the underlying mechanisms involved in the beneficial effects of EE in optimizing recovery following cerebral ischaemic injury.

Delayed treatments with pharmacological modulators of pre- and postsynaptic mGlu receptors rescue the hippocampus from kainate-induced neurodegeneration

Gene expression of mGluR2, mGluR3 and mGluR5 was evaluated in the hippocampus and frontal cortex in Wistar rats in 1 and 4 weeks after bilateral microinjection of kainic acid into the dorsal hippocampus. The time-course of the receptors' expression suggested their adaptive role in response on the induction of excitotoxicity. It was assumed that the decrease of kainate-induced neurodegeneration could be achieved through simultaneous activation of presynaptic mGluRs and inhibition of mGlu postsynaptic receptors. Both negative allosteric modulator of mGluR5, MPEP, and agonist of mGluR2, LY354740, were administered intraperitoneally 5 days after microinjection of kainic acid. As shown by histochemical studies with cresyl violet and Fluoro-Jade, kainate induced significant damage of hippocampal neurons in the CA3 and CA1 fields. Pharmacological treatment with the negative modulator of mGlu5 receptors in common with the agonist of mGluR2 decreased kainate-induced neurodegeneration in dorsal hippocampus.