title: Environmental Enrichment Improves Behavioral Abnormalities in a Mouse Model of Angelman Syndrome.
abstract: Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder largely caused by the loss of function of maternally inherited UBE3A. UBE3A-maternal deficient mice (AS mice) exhibit many typical features of AS including cognitive and motor deficits but the underlying mechanism of these behavioral abnormalities is poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that rearing of AS mice in the enriched environment for prolonged period significantly improved their cognitive and motor dysfunction. Enriched environment also restored elevated serum corticosterone level and reduced anxiety-like behaviors in these mice. Biochemical analysis further revealed restoration of altered levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, glucocorticoid receptor, and phoshphorylated calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IIα in the hippocampus of AS mice maintained in the enriched environment. Enriched environment also significantly increased the number of parvalbumin-positive GABAergic interneuron in the hippocampus and basolateral amygdala of AS mice. These results indicate potential beneficial effect of enriched environment in the reversal of AS phenotype.
authors: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Laboratory, National Brain Research Centre, Manesar, Gurgaon, 122 051, India.
authors: Imran
authors: I
authors: Jamal
authors: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Laboratory, National Brain Research Centre, Manesar, Gurgaon, 122 051, India.
authors: Vipendra
authors: V
authors: Kumar
authors: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Laboratory, National Brain Research Centre, Manesar, Gurgaon, 122 051, India.
authors: Naman
authors: N
authors: Vatsa
authors: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Laboratory, National Brain Research Centre, Manesar, Gurgaon, 122 051, India.
authors: Brijesh Kumar
authors: BK
authors: Singh
authors: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Laboratory, National Brain Research Centre, Manesar, Gurgaon, 122 051, India.
authors: Shashi
authors: S
authors: Shekhar
authors: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Laboratory, National Brain Research Centre, Manesar, Gurgaon, 122 051, India.
authors: Ankit
authors: A
authors: Sharma
authors: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Laboratory, National Brain Research Centre, Manesar, Gurgaon, 122 051, India. nihar@nbrc.ac.in.
authors: Nihar Ranjan
authors: NR
authors: Jana
mesh_terms: D017204:Angelman Syndrome / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004777:Environment; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism*; D007395:Interneurons / Q000378:metabolism; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D010320:Parvalbumins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D010320:Parvalbumins
keywords: Angelman syndrome; Anxiety; Enriched environment; Parvalbumin