Environmental Enrichment: Enhancing Neural Plasticity, Resilience, and Repair

The central nervous system architecture is markedly modified by sensory experience during early life, but a decline of plasticity occurs with age. Recent studies have challenged this dogma providing evidence that both pharmacological treatments and paradigms based on the manipulation of environmental stimulation levels can be successfully employed as strategies for enhancing plasticity in the adult nervous system. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is a peptide implicated in prenatal and postnatal phases of brain development such as neurogenesis, neuronal differentiation, synaptogenesis, and experience-dependent plasticity. Here, using the visual system as a paradigmatic model, we report that IGF-1 reactivates neural plasticity in the adult brain. Exogenous administration of IGF-1 in the adult visual cortex, indeed, restores the susceptibility of cortical neurons to monocular deprivation and promotes the recovery of normal visual functions in adult amblyopic animals. These effects were accompanied by a marked reduction of intracortical GABA levels. Moreover, we show that a transitory increase of IGF-1 expression is associated to the plasticity reinstatement induced by environmental enrichment (EE) and that blocking IGF-1 action by means of the IGF-1 receptor antagonist JB1 prevents EE effects on plasticity processes.

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Environmental enrichment on neural plasticity in juvenile Baltic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus)

10.1101/491910 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Maria Camara-Ruiz ◽

Carlos Espirito Santo ◽

Joern Gessner ◽

Sven Wuertz

Keyword(s):

Glass Fiber ◽

Neural Plasticity ◽

Environmental Enrichment ◽

Nuclear Antigen ◽

Control Group ◽

Natural Group ◽

Intermediate Group ◽

Neurotropic Factor ◽

Acipenser Oxyrinchus ◽

The Impact

Conservation biologists have long emphasized the importance of environmental enrichment in hatcheries which main objective is restocking. In this study, we evaluated the impact that long-term exposure of environmental enrichment in an artificial river section (surface water, ambient light and temperature) has on neural plasticity in juvenile Baltic sturgeons (Acipenser oxyrinchus) in comparison to fish that were reared in glass-fiber tanks in a recirculation system (aquaculture control group) under constant light and temperature conditions and an intermediate group reared in glass-fiber tanks with ambient water and natural photoperiod and temperature fluctuation. All expositions were carried out in triplicate. From the three markers reported to indicate neural plasticity, only an up-regulation of neurod1 in the forebrain of Baltic sturgeon (A. oxyrinchus) reared in enriched environment was observed in comparison to the semi-natural group and to the aquaculture (control) group. The two other markers (brain-derived neurotropic factor (bdnf), and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (pcna) did not reveal any significant differences between the groups. In conclusion, only minor effects of environmental enrichment on neuroplasticity were observed here.

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Effects of Environmental Enrichment on Nicotine Sensitization in Rats Neonatally Treated with Quinpirole: Analyses of Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Implications towards Schizophrenia

Developmental Neuroscience ◽

10.1159/000486391 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 40 (1) ◽

pp. 64-72 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Russell W. Brown ◽

Marjorie A. Schlitt ◽

Alex S. Owens ◽

Caitlynn C. DePreter ◽

Elizabeth D. Cummins ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Line ◽

Glial Cell ◽

Neural Plasticity ◽

Neurotrophic Factor ◽

Environmental Enrichment ◽

Behavioral Sensitization ◽

Dopamine D2 Receptor ◽

D2 Receptor ◽

Housing Condition ◽

Dopamine D2

The current study analyzed the effects of environmental enrichment versus isolation housing on the behavioral sensitization to nicotine in the neonatal quinpirole (NQ; dopamine D2-like agonist) model of dopamine D2 receptor supersensitivity, a rodent model of schizophrenia. NQ treatment in rats increases dopamine D2 receptor sensitivity throughout the animal’s lifetime, consistent with schizophrenia. Animals were administered NQ (1 mg/kg) or saline (NS) from postnatal day (P)1 to P21, weaned, and immediately placed into enriched housing or isolated in wire cages throughout the experiment. Rats were behaviorally sensitized to nicotine (0.5 mg/kg base) or saline every consecutive day from P38 to P45, and brain tissue was harvested at P46. Results revealed that neither housing condition reduced nicotine sensitization in NQ rats, whereas enrichment reduced sensitization to nicotine in NS-treated animals. The nucleus accumbens (NAcc) was analyzed for glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), a neurotrophin important in dopamine plasticity. Results were complex, and revealed that NAcc GDNF was increased in animals given nicotine, regardless of housing condition. Further, enrichment increased GDNF in NQ rats regardless of adolescent drug treatment and in NS-treated rats given nicotine, but did not increase GDNF in NS-treated controls compared to the isolated housing condition. This study demonstrates that environmental experience has a prominent impact on the behavioral and the neural plasticity NAcc response to nicotine in adolescence.

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Beyond clinical changes: Rehabilitation-induced neuroplasticity in MS

Multiple Sclerosis Journal ◽

10.1177/1352458519846096 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 25 (10) ◽

pp. 1348-1362 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Luca Prosperini ◽

Massimiliano Di Filippo

Keyword(s):

Animal Models ◽

Neural Plasticity ◽

Immune Modulation ◽

Environmental Enrichment ◽

Small Sample ◽

Laboratory Research ◽

Tissue Destruction ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Network Function

Background: Neural plasticity represents the substrate by which the damaged central nervous system (CNS) re-learns lost behaviors in response to rehabilitation. In persons with multiple sclerosis (MS), rehabilitation can therefore exploit the potential of neural plasticity to restore CNS functions beyond the spontaneous mechanisms of recovery from MS-related damage. Methods: Here, we reviewed the currently available evidence on the occurrence of mechanisms of structural and functional plasticity following rehabilitation, motor, and/or cognitive training. We presented both data gained from basic laboratory research on animal models and data on persons with MS obtained by advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques. Results: Studies on physical and environmental enrichment in experimental MS models showed beneficial effects mediated by both immune modulation and activity-dependent plasticity, lowering tissue destruction and restoring of CNS network function. Translational researches in MS people demonstrated structural and/or functional MRI changes after various interventions, but their heterogeneity and small sample sizes (5–42 patients) raise concerns about the interpretation and generalization of the obtained results. Discussion: We highlighted the limitations of published studies, focusing on the knowledge gaps to be filled in terms of neuropathological correlations between changes detected in animal models and changes detected in vivo by neuroimaging.

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Environment, Leptin Sensitivity, and Hypothalamic Plasticity

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/2013/438072 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Marco Mainardi ◽

Tommaso Pizzorusso ◽

Margherita Maffei

Keyword(s):

Neural Plasticity ◽

High Fat Diet ◽

Environmental Enrichment ◽

Arcuate Nucleus ◽

Brain Functions ◽

Leptin Sensitivity ◽

Diffusible Factor ◽

Obese Subjects ◽

Peripheral Action

Regulation of feeding behavior has been a crucial step in the interplay between leptin and the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARC). On one hand, the basic mechanisms regulating central and peripheral action of leptin are becoming increasingly clear. On the other hand, knowledge on how brain sensitivity to leptin can be modulated is only beginning to accumulate. This point is of paramount importance if one considers that pathologically obese subjects have high levels of plasmatic leptin. A possible strategy for exploring neural plasticity in the ARC is to act on environmental stimuli. This can be achieved with various protocols, namely, physical exercise, high-fat diet, caloric restriction, and environmental enrichment. Use of these protocols can, in turn, be exploited to isolate key molecules with translational potential. In the present review, we summarize present knowledge about the mechanisms of plasticity induced by the environment in the ARC. In addition, we also address the role of leptin in extrahypothalamic plasticity, in order to propose an integrated view of how a single diffusible factor can regulate diverse brain functions.

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Environmental enrichment and neural plasticity

International Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2012.07.177 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 85 (3) ◽

pp. 283-284 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lamberto Maffei

Keyword(s):

Neural Plasticity ◽

Environmental Enrichment

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Editorial: Environmental Enrichment: Enhancing Neural Plasticity, Resilience, and Repair

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00075 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Amanda C. Kentner ◽

Kelly G. Lambert ◽

Anthony J. Hannan ◽

S. Tifffany Donaldson

Keyword(s):

Neural Plasticity ◽

Environmental Enrichment

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Alzheimer’s Disease, Neural Plasticity, and Functional Recovery

Journal of Alzheimer s Disease ◽

10.3233/jad-201178 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Daymara Mercerón-Martínez ◽

Cristobal Ibaceta-González ◽

Claudia Salazar ◽

William Almaguer-Melian ◽

Jorge A. Bergado-Rosado ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Learning And Memory ◽

Neural Plasticity ◽

Environmental Enrichment ◽

Amyloid Β ◽

Behavioral Changes ◽

Therapeutic Approaches ◽

Physiological Adaptations ◽

Aging Conditions

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common and devastating neurodegenerative condition worldwide, characterized by the aggregation of amyloid-β and phosphorylated tau protein, and is accompanied by a progressive loss of learning and memory. A healthy nervous system is endowed with synaptic plasticity, among others neural plasticity mechanisms, allowing structural and physiological adaptations to changes in the environment. This neural plasticity modification sustains learning and memory, and behavioral changes and is severely affected by pathological and aging conditions, leading to cognitive deterioration. This article reviews critical aspects of AD neurodegeneration as well as therapeutic approaches that restore neural plasticity to provide functional recoveries, including environmental enrichment, physical exercise, transcranial stimulation, neurotrophin involvement, and direct electrical stimulation of the amygdala. In addition, we report recent behavioral results in Octodon degus, a promising natural model for the study of AD that naturally reproduces the neuropathological alterations observed in AD patients during normal aging, including neuronal toxicity, deterioration of neural plasticity, and the decline of learning and memory.

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Resveratrol: A Potential Hippocampal Plasticity Enhancer

Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity ◽

10.1155/2016/9651236 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2016 ◽

pp. 1-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Gisele Pereira Dias ◽

Graham Cocks ◽

Mário Cesar do Nascimento Bevilaqua ◽

Antonio Egidio Nardi ◽

Sandrine Thuret

Keyword(s):

Neural Plasticity ◽

Environmental Enrichment ◽

Hippocampal Neurogenesis ◽

Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis ◽

Pharmacological Agents ◽

Hippocampal Plasticity ◽

Current Review ◽

Antitumor Properties ◽

Neurological Conditions ◽

Neuropsychiatric Conditions

The search for molecules capable of restoring altered hippocampal plasticity in psychiatric and neurological conditions is one of the most important tasks of modern neuroscience. It is well established that neural plasticity, such as the ability of the postnatal hippocampus to continuously generate newly functional neurons throughout life, a process called adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN), can be modulated not only by pharmacological agents, physical exercise, and environmental enrichment, but also by “nutraceutical” agents. In this review we focus on resveratrol, a phenol and phytoalexin found in the skin of grapes and red berries, as well as in nuts. Resveratrol has been reported to have antioxidant and antitumor properties, but its effects as a neural plasticity inducer are still debated. The current review examines recent evidence implicating resveratrol in regulating hippocampal neural plasticity and in mitigating the effects of various disorders and diseases on this important brain structure. Overall, findings show that resveratrol can improve cognition and mood and enhance hippocampal plasticity and AHN; however, some studies report opposite effects, with resveratrol inhibiting aspects of AHN. Therefore, further investigation is needed to resolve these controversies before resveratrol can be established as a safe coadjuvant in preventing and treating neuropsychiatric conditions.

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