Experimental neurology
-
Experimental neurology · Mar 2013
Re-innervation patterns by peptidergic Substance-P, non-peptidergic P2X3, and myelinated NF-200 nerve fibers in epidermis and dermis of rats with neuropathic pain.
Nerve endings in the epidermis, termed nociceptors, conduct information on noxious stimuli to the central nervous system. The precise role of epidermal nerve fibers in neuropathic pain is however still controversial. Here, we have investigated the re-innervation patterns of epidermal and dermal nerve fibers in a rat neuropathic pain model. ⋯ However, the density of NF-200-IR fibers in the center area reached control levels at 10 weeks PO. No changes were found in the densities of any of the fibers in the medial and lateral parts of the foot sole. The present results suggest that after peripheral nerve injury, specific nerve fibers have different re-innervation patterns in the epidermis and dermis and that they might be involved in the development of neuropathic pain.
-
Experimental neurology · Mar 2013
Effects of daily environmental enrichment on behavior and dendritic spine density in hippocampus following neonatal hypoxia-ischemia in the rat.
Hypoxia-ischemia (HI) is the main cause of mortality in the perinatal period and morbidity, in survivors, which is characterized by neurological disabilities. The immature brain is highly susceptible to hypoxic-ischemic insult and is responsive to environmental stimuli, such as environmental enrichment (EE). Previous results indicate that EE recovered memory deficits in adult rats without reversing hippocampal atrophy related to HI. ⋯ Hypoxic-ischemic groups showed more crossing responses during the first minute in the open field, when compared to controls, but no differences were found between experimental groups in the rota-rod test. Dendritic spine density in the CA1 subfield of the right hippocampus (ipsilateral to the artery occlusion) was decreased after the HI insult, and increased in enriched controls; interestingly enriched HI rats did not differ from CTSE. In conclusion, EE was effective in recovering declarative memory impairment in object recognition and preserved hippocampal dendritic spine density loss after neonatal HI injury.