title: Functional electrical stimulation-facilitated proliferation and regeneration of neural precursor cells in the brains of rats with cerebral infarction.
abstract: Previous studies have shown that proliferation of endogenous neural precursor cells cannot alone compensate for the damage to neurons and axons. From the perspective of neural plasticity, we observed the effects of functional electrical stimulation treatment on endogenous neural precursor cell proliferation and expression of basic fibroblast growth factor and epidermal growth factor in the rat brain on the infarct side. Functional electrical stimulation was performed in rat models of acute middle cerebral artery occlusion. Simultaneously, we set up a placebo stimulation group and a sham-operated group. Immunohistochemical staining showed that, at 7 and 14 days, compared with the placebo group, the numbers of nestin (a neural precursor cell marker)-positive cells in the subgranular zone and subventricular zone were increased in the functional electrical stimulation treatment group. Western blot assays and reverse-transcription PCR showed that total protein levels and gene expression of epidermal growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor were also upregulated on the infarct side. Prehensile traction test results showed that, at 14 days, prehension function of rats in the functional electrical stimulation group was significantly better than in the placebo group. These results suggest that functional electrical stimulation can promote endogenous neural precursor cell proliferation in the brains of acute cerebral infarction rats, enhance expression of basic fibroblast growth factor and epidermal growth factor, and improve the motor function of rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China ; Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shenzhen Sixth People's Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Huihua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Tiebin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Zhiqiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhuang
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Dongmei
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Peng
keywords: NSFC grant; basic fibroblast growth factor; brain injury; epidermal growth factor; functional electrical stimulation; nerve regeneration; nestin; neural precursor cells; neural regeneration; neurogenesis; rats; stroke