title: Functional protection of learning and memory abilities in rats with vascular dementia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study clarified the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in rats with vascular dementia (VaD) and explored the underlying mechanisms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two-vessel occlusion was used as a VaD model. Two weeks after carotid artery occlusion, high (5 Hz) or low (1 Hz) frequency rTMS were applied for 10 days. Spatial learning and memory abilities were tested with a Morris water maze. Hippocampal CA1 neurons were histologically examined. The expressions of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF-4E) in CA1 were detected by western blot, and immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Unlike unlesioned control animals, VaD rats had an impaired morphology of CA1 neurons and a reduced ability of spatial memory. rTMS significantly improved both, the morphology and the learning and memory abilities of VaD rats compared to untreated lesioned rats. Protein expressions of mTOR and eIF-4E in CA1 of VaD rats were lower than in control rats but rTMS significantly increased the expression compared to untreated VaD rats.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  rTMS promotes recovery of learning and memory abilities of VaD rats. Molecular analysis suggests that the beneficial effect of rTMS may be partly induced by upregulation of protein expressions of mTOR and eIF-4E in CA1.
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Huiyun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Ouyan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Yanjiao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Henrich-Noack
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Haixuan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Qiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Tianjin Children's Hospital, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Chunquan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Huaying
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tian
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001703:Biophysics; D056547:CA1 Region, Hippocampal / Q000473:pathology; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D039561:Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-4E / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D039561:Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-4E; C546845:mTOR protein, rat; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases
keywords: 2-vessel occlusion; Morris Water Maze; Vascular dementia (VaD); eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4 (eIF-4E); learning and memory; mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR); repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)