title: Life-long environmental enrichment counteracts spatial learning, reference and working memory deficits in middle-aged rats subjected to perinatal asphyxia.
abstract: Continuous environmental stimulation induced by exposure to enriched environment (EE) has yielded cognitive benefits in different models of brain injury. Perinatal asphyxia results from a lack of oxygen supply to the fetus and is associated with long-lasting neurological deficits. However, the effects of EE in middle-aged rats suffering perinatal asphyxia are unknown. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess whether life-long exposure to EE could counteract the cognitive and behavioral alterations in middle-aged asphyctic rats. Experimental groups consisted of rats born vaginally (CTL), by cesarean section (C+), or by C+ following 19 min of asphyxia at birth (PA). At weaning, rats were assigned to standard (SE) or enriched environment (EE) for 18 months. During the last month of housing, animals were submitted to a behavioral test battery including Elevated Plus Maze, Open Field, Novel Object Recognition and Morris water maze (MWM). Results showed that middle-aged asphyctic rats, reared in SE, exhibited an impaired performance in the spatial reference and working memory versions of the MWM. EE was able to counteract these cognitive impairments. Moreover, EE improved the spatial learning performance of middle-aged CTL and C+ rats. On the other hand, all groups reared in SE did not differ in locomotor activity and anxiety levels, while EE reduced locomotion and anxiety, regardless of birth condition. Recognition memory was altered neither by birth condition nor by housing environment. These results support the importance of environmental stimulation across the lifespan to prevent cognitive deficits induced by perinatal asphyxia.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Investigaciones Cardiológicas "Prof. Dr. Alberto C. Taquini" (ININCA), Universidad de Buenos Aires (CONICET) Buenos Aires, Argentina ; Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires (CONICET), Fundación Instituto Leloir Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Galeano
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Investigaciones Cardiológicas "Prof. Dr. Alberto C. Taquini" (ININCA), Universidad de Buenos Aires (CONICET) Buenos Aires, Argentina ; Laboratorio de Investigación, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica (IBIMA), Universidad de Málaga - Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga (UGC Salud Mental) Málaga, Spain ; Departamento de Psicobiología y Metodología de las Ciencias del Comportamiento, Facultad de Psicología, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica (IBIMA), Universidad de Málaga Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Blanco
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Investigaciones Cardiológicas "Prof. Dr. Alberto C. Taquini" (ININCA), Universidad de Buenos Aires (CONICET) Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Tamara M A
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Logica Tornatore
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Investigaciones Cardiológicas "Prof. Dr. Alberto C. Taquini" (ININCA), Universidad de Buenos Aires (CONICET) Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Juan I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Investigaciones Cardiológicas "Prof. Dr. Alberto C. Taquini" (ININCA), Universidad de Buenos Aires (CONICET) Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Mariana I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Holubiec
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Investigación, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica (IBIMA), Universidad de Málaga - Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga (UGC Salud Mental) Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rodríguez de Fonseca
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Investigaciones Cardiológicas "Prof. Dr. Alberto C. Taquini" (ININCA), Universidad de Buenos Aires (CONICET) Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Capani
keywords: aging; anxiety; environmental enrichment; habituation; perinatal asphyxia; recognition memory; spatial reference memory; spatial working memory