title: Environmental enrichment restores cognitive deficits induced by experimental childhood meningitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the influence of environmental enrichment (EE) on memory, cytokines, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the brain of adult rats subjected to experimental pneumococcal meningitis during infancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  On postnatal day 11, the animals received either artificial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or Streptococcus pneumoniae suspension intracisternally at 1 × 10(6) CFU/mL and remained with their mothers until age 21 days. Animals were divided into the following groups: control, control + EE, meningitis, and meningitis + EE. EE began at 21 days and continued until 60 days of age (adulthood). EE consisted of a large cage with three floors, ramps, running wheels, and objects of different shapes and textures. At 60 days, animals were randomized and subjected to habituation to the open-field task and the step-down inhibitory avoidance task. After the tasks, the hippocampus and CSF were isolated for analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The meningitis group showed no difference in performance between training and test sessions of the open-field task, suggesting habituation memory impairment; in the meningitis + EE group, performance was significantly different, showing preservation of habituation memory. In the step-down inhibitory avoidance task, there were no differences in behavior between training and test sessions in the meningitis group, showing aversive memory impairment; conversely, differences were observed in the meningitis + EE group, demonstrating aversive memory preservation. In the two meningitis groups, IL-4, IL-10, and BDNF levels were increased in the hippocampus, and BDNF levels in the CSF.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data presented suggest that EE, a non-invasive therapy, enables recovery from memory deficits caused by neonatal meningitis.
authors: Laboratory of Experimental Microbiology, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense (UNESC), Criciúma, SC, Brazil.
authors: Tatiana
authors: T
authors: Barichello
authors: Laboratory of Experimental Microbiology, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense (UNESC), Criciúma, SC, Brazil.
authors: Glauco D
authors: GD
authors: Fagundes
authors: Laboratory of Experimental Microbiology, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense (UNESC), Criciúma, SC, Brazil.
authors: Jaqueline S
authors: JS
authors: Generoso
authors: Laboratory of Experimental Microbiology, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense (UNESC), Criciúma, SC, Brazil.
authors: Caroline S
authors: CS
authors: Dagostin
authors: Laboratory of Experimental Microbiology, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense (UNESC), Criciúma, SC, Brazil.
authors: Lutiana R
authors: LR
authors: Simões
authors: Department of Animal Biology, Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV), Viçosa, MG, Brazil.
authors: Márcia C
authors: MC
authors: Vilela
authors: Laboratory of Experimental Neurosciences, Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina (UNISUL), Palhoça, SC, Brazil.
authors: Clarissa M
authors: CM
authors: Comim
authors: Center for Experimental Models in Psychiatry, The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
authors: Fabricia
authors: F
authors: Petronilho
authors: Center for Experimental Models in Psychiatry, The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
authors: João
authors: J
authors: Quevedo
authors: Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Medical Investigation, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors: Antonio L
authors: AL
authors: Teixeira
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D008586:Meningitis, Pneumococcal / Q000628:therapy*; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020127:Recovery of Function; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D016207:Cytokines