Article

Environmental enrichment (EE) defined as "a combination of complex
inanimate and social stimulation" influences brain function and anatomy by
enhancing sensory, cognitive, motor, and social stimulation. The beneficial
effects of EE in the presence of brain damage have been partially attributed to
upregulation of neurotrophins, proteins involved in neuronal survival and in
activity-dependent plasticity. OBJECTIVE: The authors tested the hypothesis that
EE may have advantageous effects on recovery of motor function after cerebellar
damage, associated with changes in local neurotrophin production. METHODS: They
performed a hemicerebellectomy in rats previously exposed to EE or reared in
standard conditions. The time course of compensation of motor symptoms was
analyzed in both lesioned groups. Then, the local production of the nerve growth
factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the spared
hemicerebellum and other extracerebellar regions was evaluated. RESULTS:
Long-term exposure to EE accelerated the motor recovery in hemicerebellectomized
rats and elicited an increase in NGF levels in the spared hemicerebellum, as
compared with nonenriched lesioned and control rats. BDNF levels were higher in
hemicerebellectomized rats but not influenced by EE. In the frontal cortex, both
NGF and BDNF levels were upregulated in hemicerebellectomized enriched rats as
compared with hemicerebellectomized nonenriched and control rats. CONCLUSIONS:
This study suggests that the beneficial effects of EE on motor symptoms after
cerebellar damage may be, at least partly, because of modulation of neurotrophic
proteins involved in the regeneration processes.

Langue : ANGLAIS