Department of Physiology, School of Medicine & Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience & Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Department of Physiology, School of Medicine & Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience & Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Neuropharmacology. 2019 Feb;145(Pt A):59-74. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.03.042. Epub 2018 Apr 7.
Environmental manipulations enhance neuroplasticity, with enrichment-induced cognitive improvements linked to increased expression of growth factors and enhanced hippocampal neurogenesis. Environmental enrichment (EE) is defined as the addition of social, physical and somatosensory stimulation into an animal's environment via larger group housing, extra objects and, often, running wheels. Previous studies from our laboratory report that physical activity is a potent memory enhancer but that long-term environmental stimulation can be as effective as exercise at ameliorating age-related memory decline. To assess the effects of EE, in the absence of exercise, rats were housed in continuous enriched conditions for 20 months and memory assessed at young, middle aged and aged timepoints. MRI scans were also performed at these timepoints to assess regional changes in grey matter and blood flow with age, and effects of EE upon these measures. Results show an age-related decline in recognition, spatial and working memory that was prevented by EE. A parallel reduction in βNGF in hippocampus, and cell proliferation in the dentate gyrus, was prevented by EE. Furthermore, EE attenuated an age-related increase in apoptosis and expression of pro-inflammatory markers IL-1β and CD68. Long-term EE induced region-specific changes in grey matter intensity and partially rescued age-related reductions in cerebral blood flow. This study demonstrates that sensory enrichment alone can ameliorate many features typical of the ageing brain, such as increases in apoptosis and pro-inflammatory markers. Furthermore, we provide novel data on enrichment-induced regional grey matter alterations and age-related changes in blood flow in the rat. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled "Neurobiology of Environmental Enrichment".
环境干预可增强神经可塑性，而丰富环境诱导的认知改善与生长因子表达增加和海马神经发生增强有关。环境丰富（EE）被定义为通过更大的群体饲养、额外的物体和通常的跑步轮，将社交、身体和感觉刺激添加到动物的环境中。我们实验室的先前研究报告表明，体育活动是一种强大的记忆增强剂，但长期环境刺激可以像运动一样有效地改善与年龄相关的记忆衰退。为了评估 EE 的影响，在没有运动的情况下，将大鼠连续置于丰富的环境中 20 个月，并在年轻、中年和老年时评估记忆。还在这些时间点进行 MRI 扫描，以评估灰质和血流随年龄的区域变化，以及 EE 对这些指标的影响。结果表明，EE 可预防与年龄相关的识别、空间和工作记忆下降。EE 还可预防海马体中βNGF 和齿状回细胞增殖的平行减少。此外，EE 减弱了与年龄相关的细胞凋亡和促炎标志物 IL-1β和 CD68 的表达增加。长期 EE 引起灰质强度的区域特异性变化，并部分挽救了与年龄相关的脑血流减少。这项研究表明，单独的感觉丰富就可以改善与衰老大脑相关的许多特征，例如细胞凋亡和促炎标志物的增加。此外，我们提供了关于丰富诱导的区域灰质改变和大鼠与年龄相关的血流变化的新数据。本文是题为“环境富集的神经生物学”的特刊的一部分。
