Dong Juntao, Zhao Jingpu, Lin Yangyang, Liang Huiying, He Xiaokuo, Zheng Xiuyuan, Sui Minghong, Zhuang Zhiqiang, Yan Tiebin
a Department of Rehabilitation Medicine , Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou , China.
b Department of Rehabilitation Medicine , The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou , China.
Neurol Res. 2018 Jan;40(1):68-77. doi: 10.1080/01616412.2017.1398389. Epub 2017 Nov 10.
Functional electrical stimulation (FES) may induce involuntary exercise and make beneficial effects on vascular dementia (VD) by strengthening the BDNF-pCREB-mediated pathway and hippocampal plasticity. Whether FES improves recognition memory and synaptic plasticity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) was investigated by establishing a VD model.
The VD rats were administered with two weeks of voluntary exercise, forced exercise, or involuntary exercise induced with FES. Sham-operated and control groups were also included. The behavioral changes were assessed with the novel object recognition test and novel object location test. The expression levels of key proteins related to synaptic plasticity in the PFC were also detected.
All types of exercise improved the rats' novel object recognition index, but only voluntary exercise and involuntary exercise induced with FES improved the novel object location index. Any sort of exercise enhanced the expression of key proteins in the PFC.
Involuntary exercise induced with FES can improve recognition memory in VD better than forced exercise. The mechanism is associated with increased synaptic plasticity in the PFC. FES may be a useful alternative tool for cognitive rehabilitation.
功能性电刺激（FES）可能通过加强脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）-磷酸化环磷腺苷反应元件结合蛋白（pCREB）介导的通路及海马可塑性来诱导非自主性运动，并对血管性痴呆（VD）产生有益影响。通过建立VD模型，研究FES是否能改善前额叶皮质（PFC）的认知记忆和突触可塑性。
对VD大鼠进行为期两周的自主运动、强迫运动或FES诱导的非自主运动。还纳入了假手术组和对照组。用新物体识别测试和新物体定位测试评估行为变化。同时检测PFC中与突触可塑性相关的关键蛋白的表达水平。
所有类型的运动均提高了大鼠的新物体识别指数，但只有自主运动和FES诱导的非自主运动提高了新物体定位指数。任何一种运动均增强了PFC中关键蛋白的表达。
FES诱导的非自主运动比强迫运动能更好地改善VD的认知记忆。其机制与PFC中突触可塑性增加有关。FES可能是一种有用的认知康复替代工具。
