Neurogenesis in the adult rat brain after intermittent hypoxia.
Intermittent hypoxia has been found to prevent brain injury and to have a protective role in the CNS. To address the possible causes of this phenomenon, we made investigative effort to find out whether intermittent hypoxia affects neurogenesis in the adult rat brain by examining the newly divided cells in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and dentate gyrus (DG). The adult rats were treated with 3000 and 5000 m high altitude 4 h per day for 2 weeks consecutively. 5-Bromo-2-deoxyuridine-5-monophosphate (BrdU) immunocytochemistry demonstrated that the BrdU-labeled cells in the SVZ and DG increased after 3000 and 5000 m intermittent hypoxia. The number of BrdU-labeled cells in the SVZ returned to normal level 4 weeks following intermittent hypoxia. However, the BrdU-labeled cells in the DG had a twofold increase 4 weeks subsequent to intermittent hypoxia. From these data, we conclude that intermittent hypoxia facilitates the proliferation of neural stem cells in situ, and that the newly divided cells in the SVZ and DG react differently to hypoxia. We are convinced by these findings that the proliferation of neural stem cells in SVZ and DG may contribute to adaptive changes following intermittent hypoxia.
Zhu
Ling-Ling
LL
Department of Brain Protection and Plasticity, Institute of Basic Medical Science, Beijing 100850, China.
Zhao
Tong
T
Li
Hai-Sheng
HS
Zhao
Huiqing
H
Wu
Li-Ying
LY
Ding
Ai-Shi
AS
Fan
Wen-Hong
WH
Fan
Ming
M
D000531:Altitude; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine / Q000378:metabolism; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000166:cytology*; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000166:cytology*; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*
D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine