title: Simvastatin administration ameliorates neurobehavioral consequences of subarachnoid hemorrhage in the rat.
abstract: In the present study we assessed the neuroprotective effects of simvastatin in a rodent model of experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Based on recent data showing the role of statins not only in lowering the level of cholesterol but also in preventing cardiac and cerebrovascular damage in risk population, and in decreasing vasospasm and delayed ischemia after aneurysmal SAH, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of intraperitoneal administration of simvastatin (40 mg/kg/day for 5 consecutive days) in Sprague-Dawley rats 30 min after SAH, as compared to vehicle-treated SAH animals. We employed a battery of well-characterized tests to assess memory, learning, motivational, balance, and behavioral performances. On days 1-4 post-SAH, simvastatin-treated rats have significantly improved beam balance scores (days 1-2, p<0.001; days 3-4, p<0.01), beam balance times (days 1-4, p<0.01), and latency to traverse the beam (days 1-3, p<0.01; day 2, p<0.005; day 4, p<0.0001) in comparison with control groups that, conversely, were not protected against SAH-related body weight changes. These results demonstrate that the administration of simvastatin may represent a beneficial therapeutic approach able to reduce post-SAH cognitive dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Neurosurgical Clinic, Department of Neurosciences, Psychiatry and Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Merlo
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cimino
authors.forename: Antonino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scibilia
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ricciardi
authors.forename: Joselita
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chirafisi
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Speciale
authors.forename: Filippo Flavio
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Angileri
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Raffa
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Priola
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saija
authors.forename: Antonino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Germanò
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D019821:Simvastatin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D019821:Simvastatin