scholarly journals Programming effects of peripubertal stress on spatial learning

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Tzanoulinou ◽  
E. Gantelet ◽  
C. Sandi ◽  
C. Marquez
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Learning ◽  
Water Maze ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Transitional Period ◽  
Spatial Learning And Memory ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Corticosterone Response ◽  
Important Time ◽  
And Behavior

AbstractExposure to adversity during early life can have profound influences on brain function and behavior later in life. The peripubertal period is emerging as an important time-window of susceptibility to stress, with substantial evidence documenting long-term consequences in the emotional and social domains. However, little is known about how stress during this period impacts subsequent cognitive functioning. Here, we assessed potential long-term effects of peripubertal stress on spatial learning and memory using the water maze task. In addition, we interrogated whether individual differences in stress-induced behavioral and endocrine changes are related to the degree of adaptation of the corticosterone response to repeated stressor exposure during the peripubertal period. We found that, when tested at adulthood, peripubertally stressed animals displayed a slower learning rate. Strikingly, the level of spatial orientation in the water maze completed on the last training day was predicted by the degree of adaptation of the recovery -and not the peak-of the corticosterone response to stressor exposure (i.e., plasma levels at 60 min post-stressor) across the peripubertal stress period. In addition, peripubertal stress led to changes in emotional and glucocorticoid reactivity to novelty exposure, as well as in the expression levels of the plasticity molecule PSA-NCAM in the hippocampus. Importantly, by assessing the same endpoints in another peripubertally stressed cohort tested during adolescence, we show that the observed effects at adulthood are the result of a delayed programming manifested at adulthood and not protracted effects of stress. Altogether, our results support the view that the degree of stress-induced adaptation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis responsiveness at the important transitional period of puberty relates to the long-term programming of cognition, behavior and endocrine reactivity.

scholarly journals Constitutive differences in glucocorticoid responsiveness are related to divergent spatial information processing abilities

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damien Huzard ◽  
Avgoustinos Vouros ◽  
Silvia Monari ◽  
Simone Astori ◽  
Eleni Vasilaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Learning ◽  
Reversal Learning ◽  
Water Maze ◽  
Spatial Learning And Memory ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Maze Task ◽  
Learning Abilities ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Morris Water Maze Task

The stress response facilitates survival through adaptation and is intimately related to cognitive processes. The Morris water maze task probes spatial learning and memory in rodents and glucocorticoids (i.e. corticosterone in rats) have been suggested to elicit a facilitating action on memory formation. Moreover, the early aging period (around 16-18 months of age) is susceptible to stress- and glucocorticoid-mediated acceleration of cognitive decline. In this study, we tested three lines of rats selectively bred according to their individual differences in corticosterone responsiveness to repeated stress exposure during juvenility. We investigated whether endogenous differences in glucocorticoid responses influenced spatial learning, long-term memory and reversal learning abilities in a Morris water maze task at early aging. Additionally, we assessed the quality of the different swimming strategies of the rats. Our results indicate that rats with differential corticosterone responsiveness exhibit similar spatial learning abilities but different long-term memory retention and reversal learning. Specifically, the high corticosterone responding line had a better long-term spatial memory, while the low corticosterone responding line was impaired for both long-term retention and reversal learning. Our modeling analysis of performance strategies revealed further important line-related differences. Therefore, our findings support the view that individuals with high corticosterone responsiveness would form stronger long-term memories to navigate in stressful environments. Conversely, individuals with low corticosterone responsiveness would be impaired at different phases of spatial learning and memory.

scholarly journals Long Term Administration of Hypericum perforatum Improves Spatial Learning and Memory in the Water Maze

2002 ◽  
Vol 25 (10) ◽  
pp. 1289-1294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Widy-Tyszkiewicz ◽  
Agnieszka Piechal ◽  
Ilona Joniec ◽  
Kamilla Blecharz-Klin
Keyword(s):  
Learning And Memory ◽  
Spatial Learning ◽  
Water Maze ◽  
Hypericum Perforatum ◽  
Spatial Learning And Memory ◽  
Term Administration

scholarly journals A Long-Term Enriched Environment Ameliorates the Accelerated Age-Related Memory Impairment Induced by Gestational Administration of Lipopolysaccharide: Role of Plastic Mitochondrial Quality Control

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhan-Qiang Zhuang ◽  
Zhe-Zhe Zhang ◽  
Yue-Ming Zhang ◽  
He-Hua Ge ◽  
Shi-Yu Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Learning And Memory ◽  
Spatial Learning ◽  
Memory Impairment ◽  
Spatial Learning And Memory ◽  
Mitochondrial Quality Control ◽  
Protein Levels ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Old Mice ◽  
Lps Treatment

Studies have shown that gestational inflammation accelerates age-related memory impairment in mother mice. An enriched environment (EE) can improve age-related memory impairment, whereas mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in the pathogenesis of brain aging. However, it is unclear whether an EE can counteract the accelerated age-related memory impairment induced by gestational inflammation and whether this process is associated with the disruption of mitochondrial quality control (MQC) processes. In this study, CD-1 mice received daily intraperitoneal injections of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 50 μg/kg) or normal saline (CON group) during gestational days 15–17 and were separated from their offspring at the end of normal lactation. The mothers that received LPS were divided into LPS group and LPS plus EE (LPS-E) treatment groups based on whether the mice were exposed to an EE until the end of the experiment. At 6 and 18 months of age, the Morris water maze test was used to evaluate spatial learning and memory abilities. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blot were used to measure the messenber RNA (mRNA) and protein levels of MQC-related genes in the hippocampus, respectively. The results showed that all the aged (18 months old) mice underwent a striking decline in spatial learning and memory performances and decreased mRNA/protein levels related to mitochondrial dynamics (Mfn1/Mfn2, OPA1, and Drp1), biogenesis (PGC-1α), and mitophagy (PINK1/parkin) in the hippocampi compared with the young (6 months old) mice. LPS treatment exacerbated the decline in age-related spatial learning and memory and enhanced the reduction in the mRNA and protein levels of MQC-related genes but increased the levels of PGC-1α in young mice. Exposure to an EE could alleviate the accelerated decline in age-related spatial learning and memory abilities and the accelerated changes in MQC-related mRNA or protein levels resulting from LPS treatment, especially in aged mice. In conclusion, long-term exposure to an EE can counteract the accelerated age-related spatial cognition impairment modulated by MQC in CD-1 mother mice that experience inflammation during pregnancy.

scholarly journals Language in Preterm Born Children: Atypical Development and Effects of Early Interventions on Neuroplasticity

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Vandormael ◽  
Lucie Schoenhals ◽  
Petra S. Hüppi ◽  
Manuela Filippa ◽  
Cristina Borradori Tolsa
Keyword(s):  
Preterm Birth ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Early Exposure ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
Atypical Development ◽  
Preterm Born ◽  
And Behavior

Predicting language performances after preterm birth is challenging. It is described in the literature that early exposure to the extrauterine environment can be either detrimental or advantageous for neurodevelopment. However, the emphasis mostly lies on the fact that preterm birth may have an unfavorable effect on numerous aspects of development such as cognition, language, and behavior. Various studies reported atypical language development in preterm born children in the preschool years but also in school-aged children and adolescents. This review gives an overview of the course of language development and examines how prematurity can lead to atypical linguistic performances. In this paper, we mainly focus on environmental and neurophysiological factors influencing preterm infant neuroplasticity with potential short- and long-term effects on language development. Further research, however, should focus on examining the possible benefits that early exposure might entail.

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