title: [Effects of electric stimulation at the cerebellar fastigial nucleus on astrocytes in the hippocampus of neonatal rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effects of electric stimulation at the cerebellar fastigial nucleus on astrocytes in the hippocampus of neonatal rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) and the possible mechanism.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and eighty 7-day-old neonatal Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: sham-operation (control group) and HIBD with and without electric stimulation (n=60 each). The HIBD model of neonatal rats was prepared by the Rice-Vennucci method. Electric stimulation at the cerebellar fastigial nucleus was given 24 hrs after the operation in the electric stimulation group once daily and lasted for 30 minutes each time. The other two groups were not subjected to electric stimulation but captured to fix in corresponding periods. Rats were sacrificed 3, 7, 14 and 21 days after stimulations to observe the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression by immunohistochemisty and the ultrastructural changes of astrocytes in the hippocampus under an electron microscope.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Immunohistochemical analysis showed the expression of GFAP in the HIBD groups with and without electric stimulation increased significantly compared with the control group on day 3, reached the peak on day 7, and the increased expression remained till to day 21. The GFAP expression in the electric stimulation group was significantly lower than that in the untreated HIBD group at all time points. Under the electron microscope, the astrocytes in the untreated HIBD group were swollen and the amount of organelles was reduced, while the swelling of astrocytes was alleviated and the organelles remained in integrity in the electric stimulation group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The electric stimulation at the cerebellar fastigial nucleus can inhibit the excessive proliferation of astrocytes and relieve the structural damage of astrocytes in neonatal rats following HIBD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China. JIM226@sina.com
authors.forename: Xiao-Li
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Tian-Ming
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Luan
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yuan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000502:physiology*; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D005260:Female; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000032:analysis; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology*; D020925:Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein