| Objective: To investigate the impact of "preservation from both physique and spirit" on cognitive ability and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) after focal ischemia in rats. Methods: Fifty Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into five groups: ischemic rats housed in the enriched environment of "physique" (IE1), ischemic rats housed in the enriched environment of "spirit" (IE2), ischemic rats housed in the enriched environment of "preservation from both physique and spirit" (IE3), ischemic rats housed in standard cages (IS), and sham-ischemic rats in standard cages (SS) (n=10 in each group). Rats in the ischemia/reperfusion groups had their middle cerebral artery sutured for two h before reperfusion, and rats were placed in a "preservation from both physique and spirit" enriched-environment for 4 weeks. The water Maze test was used to assess spatial learning and memory after environmental intervention. Then the rats were sacrificed. BDNF immunoreactivity was quantified in peri-infarct area and hippocampus dentate gyrus. Results: The escape latency was significantly shorter in groups IE1 and IE3 than in group IS on the 5th days (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference among IE1, IE3 and SS groups. The time spent in the target quadrant was significantly longer in IE1, IE2 and IE3 groups than in IS group. The BDNF protein levels in the peri-lesional cortex in groups IE1 and IE3 were higher than in IS group, and those in hippocampus dentate gyrus in IE1, IE2 and IE3 groups were higher than in IS and SS groups (P<0.05). Conclusions: We conclude that "preservation from both physique and spirit" enriched-environment housing has positive effects on learning and memory ability, and increases BDNF levels in rats after focal ischemia. |
