title: Astroglial and cognitive effects of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion in the rat.
abstract: The permanent occlusion of common carotid arteries (2VO) causes a significant reduction of cerebral blood flow (hypoperfusion) in rats and constitutes a well established experimental model to investigate neuronal damage and cognitive impairment that occurs in human ageing and Alzheimer's disease. In the present study, we evaluated two astroglial proteins--S100B and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)--in cerebral cortex and hippocampus tissue, glutamate uptake and glutamine synthetase activity in hippocampus tissue, as well as S100B in cerebrospinal fluid. Cognition, as assessed by reference and working spatial memory protocols, was also investigated. Adult male Wistar rats were submitted to 10 weeks of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion by the 2VO method. A significant increase of S100B and GFAP in hippocampus tissue was observed, as well a significant decrease in glutamate uptake. Interestingly, we observed a decrease in S100B in cerebrospinal fluid. As for the cognitive outcome, there was an impairment of both reference and working spatial memory in the water maze; positive correlation between cognitive impairment and glutamate uptake decrease was evidenced in hypoperfused rats. These data support the hypothesis that astrocytes play a crucial role in the mechanisms of experimental neurodegeneration and that hippocampal pathology arising after chronic hypoperfusion gives rise to memory deficits.
authors.affiliation: Post-graduation Program of Neurocience, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: Evelin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vicente
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Degerone
authors.forename: Liana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bohn
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scornavaca
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pimentel
authors.forename: Marina C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Leite
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Swarowsky
authors.forename: Letícia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: Patrícia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nardin
authors.forename: Lucia Maria Vieira
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: de Almeida
authors.forename: Carmem
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gottfried
authors.forename: Diogo Onofre
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: Carlos Alexandre
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Netto
authors.forename: Carlos Alberto
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D005911:Gliosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005974:Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase / Q000378:metabolism; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D020925:Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000502:physiology; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D064568:S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit; D009418:S100 Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D064568:S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit; D009418:S100 Proteins; C579160:S100B protein, human; C579158:S100b protein, rat; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005974:Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase