Effect of dihydroergotoxine mesylate (Hydergine) on delayed neuronal death in the gerbil hippocampus

Mitigating cognitive impairment in aging mice: Exploring the therapeutic potential of ischelium

To deeply explore the intervention effects of ischelium on the cognitive memory decline in naturally aging mice and its potential mechanisms, we randomly divided mice into four groups: young control group (C), elderly group (M), ischelium low-dose group (L), and ischelium high-dose group (H). The experiment lasted for 12 weeks. We employed the Y-maze test, open field test, and conditioned fear test to evaluate the memory functions of each group. Through HE staining and electron microscopy, we observed morphological changes in the mouse hippocampus. RT-PCR was used to detect changes in the expression of factors related to cognitive function in the hippocampus of elderly mice. We analyzed the changes in the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway and the inflammatory factors IL-1β and TNF-α using elisa. Additionally, we examined the enzymatic activities of SOD, CAT, GSH-Px, and MDA in the hippocampus and analyzed the compositional changes of gut microbiota in mice using 16S technology. Our results indicate that ischelium effectively ameliorates cognitive impairments in elderly mice.

Characteristics of transient cerebral ischemia-induced deficits on various learning and memory tasks in male Mongolian gerbils

We examined the characteristics of 5-min cerebral ischemia-induced behavioral deficits in spontaneous locomotor activity and their effects on the performance of habituation (HAB), passive avoidance (PA) and 8-arm radial maze (RM) tasks in Mongolian gerbils. Performances in HAB, PA and RM were impaired within 2 days after occlusion, and gerbils showed hyperlocomotion during this period. Ten days after ischemia, the hyperlocomotion disappeared and performance in the HAB and PA was the same as that in the sham-operated group. Retention in the RM was impaired at that period, but this impairment was overcome, and retention recovered easily to the sham-operated level with a few additional trials. When the acquisition trial in the RM began at 11 days after occlusion, severe learning impairment was found. Destruction of hippocampal CA1 neurons appears from 2-3 days after ischemic insult, with most CA1 neurons having disappeared by day 7. These findings suggest that the impairment of performance in the HAB and PA within 2 days after occlusion may be related to an early phase of CA1 neuronal death and to hyperlocomotion, although the impairment of spatial learning and memory was clearly associated with CA1 injury 10 days after ischemia.

A comparison of induced heat-shock protein in neurons destined to survive and those destined to die after transient ischemia in rats

We examined the induction of heat-shock protein (HSP) in CA-1 pyramidal neurons compared with that in CA-3 pyramidal neurons, in rat brain following 20 min of ischemia. The time course of the changes of localization of HSP was investigated using immunohistochemical and Western blot analyses. The induction of HSP in the CA-1 subfield was the same as that in the surviving hippocampal CA-3 subfield.

Resistance of hippocampal CA-1 noradrenergic fibers to five minutes of transient cerebral ischemia in the gerbil

We examined changes in the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-immunoreactive fibers following 5 min of cerebral ischemia in gerbils using an immunohistochemical method 1, 3 and 30 days after ischemia. Almost all CA-1 pyramidal neurons were lost 3 days after ischemia, whereas noradrenergic fibers were maintained 30 days after ischemia. The present study demonstrated that TH-immunoreactive fibers and cells were resistant to transient ischemia, and that there was no sprouting or hyperactivity in noradrenergic systems after ischemia.