title: Behavioral testing-related changes in the expression of Synapsin I and glucocorticoid receptors in standard and enriched aged Wistar rats.
abstract: Our aim was to assess the changes in the Synapsin I and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression induced by behavioral testing in the dorsal and ventral hippocampi of standard and enriched aged Wistar rats. The environmental enrichment (EE) was carried out 3h/day over a period of two months and then, the rats were tested in the elevated zero-maze (EZM) and radial-arm water maze (RAWM). Behavioral results showed that, even at an advanced age, EE was able to reduce anxiety-related behaviors and improve the performance in the RAWM. Regarding the neurobiological data, Synapsin I expression in the dorsal CA3, but not in the ventral, was enhanced both in enriched and standard rats when they performed the behavioral testing. Interestingly, the EE exposure was enough to increase Synapsin I in the ventral CA3. The analysis of GR in the dorsal hippocampus showed an increase of this receptor in the dDG both in enriched and standard rats when they performed the behavioral testing, whereas in the dCA1 and dCA3, the effect of the testing depended on the previous housing condition. In the ventral region, we found that the effects of EE were higher because on the one hand, the GR expression induced by the behavioral testing was enhanced in the dSUB, vCA1 and vCA3 when the rats were previously enriched and on the other hand, EE, regardless of the behavioral testing, increased the GR expression in the vDG and vSUB. Therefore, our results suggest that the effect of the behavioral testing on the neurobiological mechanisms studied is different depending on the previous housing condition of aged rats.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Departamento de Psicología, Universidad de Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo s/n., 33003 Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Neurociencias del Principado de Asturias, INEUROPA, Spain. Electronic address: uo179677@uniovi.es.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sampedro-Piquero
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Departamento de Psicología, Universidad de Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo s/n., 33003 Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Neurociencias del Principado de Asturias, INEUROPA, Spain. Electronic address: jarias@uniovi.es.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Arias
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Departamento de Psicología, Universidad de Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo s/n., 33003 Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Neurociencias del Principado de Asturias, INEUROPA, Spain. Electronic address: begega@uniovi.es.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Begega
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism*; D006799:Housing, Animal; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning; D009043:Motor Activity; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011930:Reaction Time; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000378:metabolism*; D016704:Synapsins / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: C542344:NR3C1 protein, rat; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; D016704:Synapsins
keywords: Aging; Glucocorticoid receptor; Hippocampus; Spatial memory; Synapsin I