title: Effects of infrasound on hippocampus-dependent learning and memory in rats and some underlying mechanisms.
abstract: To investigate the effect of infrasound on the hippocampus-dependent spatial learning and memory as well as its underlying mechanisms, we measured the changes of cognitive abilities, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-tyrosine kinase receptor B (TrkB) signal transduction pathway and neurogenesis in the hippocampus of rats. The results showed that rats exposed to infrasound of 16 Hz at 130 dB for 14 days exhibited longer escape latency from day 2 and shortened time staying in the quadrant P in Morris water maze (MWM). It was found that mRNA and protein expression levels of hippocampal BDNF and TrkB were significantly decreased in real-time PCR and Western blot, and the number of BrdU-labeled cells in hippocampus was also reduced when compared to control. These results provided novel evidences that the infrasound of a certain exposure parameter can impair hippocampus-dependent learning and memory, in which the downregulation of the neuronal plasticity-related BDNF-TrkB signal pathway and less neurogenesis in hippocampus might be involved.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy, Xijing Hospital, the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, PR China.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Lili
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Jingzao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Mou