Department of Cerebrovascular Medicine, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Japan.
Brain Res. 2011 Feb 28;1376:60-5. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2010.12.058. Epub 2010 Dec 24.
Recent studies have demonstrated that animals housed in an enriched environment after an experimental stroke obtained a better functional outcome than those housed in a standard cage; however, little is known about the gene expression associated with this functional recovery. The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the expression of genes in an enriched environment after experimental stroke in the ischemic and non-ischemic sides of the cortices. Transient focal brain ischemia was produced by the occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery (t-MCAO) in male Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were divided into 3 groups: ischemic rats housed in the enriched environment, ischemic rats housed in standard cages, and non-ischemic rats in standard cages. Four weeks after t-MCAO, the rats were sacrificed and gene expression was examined. Motor function was improved in ischemic rats housed in the enriched environment compared with those in standard cages; however, there were no significant differences in the size of the infarct area between the ischemic rats in the enriched environment and those in standard cages. Decreases in the expression of Egr-1, -2, and BDNF mRNA in both sides of the cortices were detected in rats housed in the enriched environment, indicating that gene expression was altered throughout the brain at 4 weeks after transient focal ischemia.
最近的研究表明，与饲养在标准笼中的动物相比，经历实验性中风后被安置在丰富环境中的动物获得了更好的功能结果；然而，对于与这种功能恢复相关的基因表达，人们知之甚少。本研究的目的是阐明实验性中风后丰富环境中皮质缺血和非缺血侧的基因表达。雄性 Sprague-Dawley 大鼠通过阻断右侧大脑中动脉（t-MCAO）产生短暂局灶性脑缺血。将大鼠分为 3 组：在丰富环境中饲养的缺血性大鼠、在标准笼中饲养的缺血性大鼠和在标准笼中饲养的非缺血性大鼠。t-MCAO 后 4 周，处死大鼠并检查基因表达。与饲养在标准笼中的动物相比，饲养在丰富环境中的缺血性大鼠的运动功能得到改善；然而，在丰富环境和标准笼中饲养的缺血性大鼠的梗塞面积没有显著差异。在丰富环境中饲养的大鼠两侧皮质中 Egr-1、-2 和 BDNF mRNA 的表达均降低，表明在短暂局灶性缺血后 4 周，整个大脑的基因表达发生改变。
