engleski

Environmental enrichment and mental training improve cognition in rat model of sporadic alzheimer’s disease

Growing body of evidence suggests that physical and mental activities have beneficial effects on cognitive impairments in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the effect of long lasting cognitive and physical stimulation has been evaluated only in transgenic mice, representing the familial AD form. We investigated whether the long-term enriched housing and intensive cognitive training could improve learning and memory deficits in sporadic AD (sAD) animal model, i.e. in streptozotocin-intracerebroventricularly (STZ-icv) treated rats. Adult, male Wistar rats (N=40) were randomly divided in 2 groups, which, following the general anaesthesia, were given icv injection of STZ (3 mg/kg) or vehicle, respectively. Three weeks after STZ-icv treatment, one half of each group was rendered to enriched housing (EH) and intensive weekly mental training in the Morris Water Maze Swimming (MWM) test and Dray maze (DM) for another 9 weeks. Mann-Whitney U-test (p<0.05) was used for data analysis. Significant deficit in learning and memory functions (-29%, MWM) and increased anxiety (+142%, DM) with decrease in moving (-31%, DM) were found in STZ-icv treated rats, in comparison with the controls, 3 weeks following the icv treatment. Changes persisted up to 3 months in rats not subjected to EH and mental training but were normalised and insignificant in STZ-icv rats previously subjected to EH and mental training. Results indicated that intensive and long-term mental and psychical activity may improve cognition and normalize memory loos and anxiety in STZ-icv rat model of sAD.

sporadic alzheimer disease; cognitive impairments; streptozotocin; memory deficit

e-ISBN: 978-3-8055-9119-5