Does long-term physical exercise counteract age-related Purkinje cell loss? A stereological study of rat cerebellum

Objectives: The goal of this study was to assess neuronal injury and synaptic plasticity impairments in Purkinje cells in pediatric and adult mice following cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. We hypothesized that synaptic impairments in pediatrics would be less severe than in adult mice. Methods: Pediatric ( 21-25 day old) and adult (8-12 week) male mice were subjected to 8 minutes cardiac arrest followed by cardiopulmonary resuscitation or sham surgery. Purkinje cells were labeled using anti-calbindin antibody and cell density was analyzed to examine neuronal injury. To examine synaptic function, whole-cell voltage clamp recording on acute cerebellar slices was performed at 1 and 7 days after CA/CPR or sham surgery. Excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) resulting from parallel (PF) or climbing fiber (CF) stimulation were recorded. Long-term depression (LTD) was induced by simultaneous parallel and climbing fiber stimulation (1 Hz, 5 min). Results: Purkinje cell loss was observed in pediatric (24% cell loss) and adult (32% cell loss) mice following CA/CPR. Long-term depression, a reduction of synaptic strength of PF EPSCs was observed in adult and pediatric sham controls following PF+CF stimulation (46.6 ± 10% of baseline n= 5 and 55.4 ± 6.1% n= 3, respectively). LTD was absent in pediatric and adult mice at 24 hours after CA/CPR (96.1 ± 5.2% n =6 and 89.4 ± 4.5% n=2, respectively). At 7 and 30 days after CA/CPR LTD was absent in adult mice (81.6 ± 10.8% n=6 and 86.5 ± 8.9% n=4) but had returned in pediatric mice at 7 days after CA/CPR (70 ± 5.4% n=3). Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that CA/CPR results in significant Purkinje cell loss in pediatric and adult mice. LTD was absent at 24 hours at both ages and was observed at 7 days after CA/CPR in pediatric but not adult mice. These results suggest enhanced recovery of synaptic plasticity at this developmental stage.

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Acute and Long-Term Purkinje Cell Loss Following a Single Ethanol Binge During the Early Third Trimester Equivalent in the Rat

Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research ◽

10.1111/j.1530-0277.2012.01743.x ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 36 (8) ◽

pp. 1365-1373 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Nirelia M. Idrus ◽

Ruth M. A. Napper

Keyword(s):

Purkinje Cell ◽

Cell Loss ◽

Third Trimester ◽

Purkinje Cell Loss

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Autistic-Like Behaviors, Oxidative Stress Status, and Histopathological Changes in Cerebellum of Valproic Acid Rat Model of Autism Are Improved by the Combined Extract of Purple Rice and Silkworm Pupae

Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity ◽

10.1155/2016/3206561 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2016 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Nartnutda Morakotsriwan ◽

Jintanaporn Wattanathorn ◽

Woranan Kirisattayakul ◽

Kowit Chaisiwamongkol

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Valproic Acid ◽

Purkinje Cell ◽

Rat Model ◽

Cell Loss ◽

Hot Plate ◽

Hot Plate Test ◽

Silkworm Pupae ◽

Oxidative Stress Status ◽

Purkinje Cell Loss

Due to the crucial role of oxidative stress on the pathophysiology of autism and the concept of synergistic effect, the benefit of the combined extract of purple rice and silkworm pupae (AP1) for autism disorder was the focus. Therefore, we aimed to determine the effect of AP1 on autistic-like behaviors, oxidative stress status, and histopathological change of cerebellum in valproic acid (VPA) rat model of autism. VPA was injected on postnatal day (PND) 14 and the animals were orally given AP1 at doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg·kg−1BW between PND 14 and PND 40. The autism-like behaviors were analyzed via hot-plate, rotarod, elevated plus-maze, learning, memory, and social behavior tests. Oxidative stress and the histological change in the cerebellum were assessed at the end of study. AP1 treated rats improved behaviors in all tests except that in hot-plate test. The improvement of oxidative stress and Purkinje cell loss was also observed in the cerebellum of VPA-treated rats. Our data suggest that AP1 partially reduced autism-like behaviors by improving oxidative stress and Purkinje cell loss. Further research is required to identify the active ingredients in AP1 and gender difference effect.

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