Combined effect of lithium and environmental enrichment on the survival of new cells in the hippocampus of adult mice

• Grant number: 11/24022-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): April 01, 2012
• Effective date (End): March 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Morphology
• Principal Investigator: Evelin Lisete Schaeffer
• Grantee: Fabiana Gadotti Cerulli
• Host Institution: Instituto de Psiquiatria Doutor Antonio Carlos Pacheco e Silva (IPq). Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP (HCFMUSP). Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 09/53008-3 - Effects of chronic phospholipase A2 inhibition on the differentiation of new neurons in brain mature cells of adult rats, AP.JP

Abstract

With the discovery that constitutive neurogenesis persists in the adult brain, has emerged the hypothesis that Alzheimer disease (AD) could be overcome, or at least ameliorated, since the generation of new neurons might help to compensate for the loss of neurons in the disease. In fact, neuroproliferation is increased in the AD brain, but new neurons fail to survive and differentiate into mature cells. Several studies have demonstrated that pharmacological treatment with lithium and non-pharmacological treatment with an enriched environment containing cognitive and physical stimulation are capable of stimulating the survival and maturation of newly generated cells in the brain of adult rodents. The objective of this project is to examine the combined effect of these two neurogenesis-promoting strategies (lithium and environmental enrichment) to improve the survival of newly generated cells in the hippocampus of adult mice. C57Bl/6 mice will be submitted for 4 weeks to one of the following conditions: (a) Conventional Environment less Lithium, (b) Conventional Environment plus Lithium, (c) Enriched Environment less Lithium and (d) Enriched Environment plus Lithium. Over three days before the start of treatments, the animals will receive intraperitoneal injection of BrdU, a marker of cell proliferation. Twenty-eight days after the last BrdU injection, the animals will be sacrificed by intracardiac perfusion followed by fixation with 4% paraformaldehyde, to verify the survival of proliferating cells. The fixed and frozen brains will be cut in cryostat, and adjacent serial sections will be marked immunohistochemically for BrdU. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SCHAEFFER, EVELIN L.; CERULLI, FABIANA G.; SOUZA, HELIO O. X.; CATANOZI, SERGIO; GATTAZ, WAGNER F.. Synergistic and additive effects of enriched environment and lithium on the generation of new cells in adult mouse hippocampus. JOURNAL OF NEURAL TRANSMISSION, v. 121, n. 7, p. 695-706, JUL 2014. (11/24022-8, 09/52825-8, 09/53008-3, 11/23039-4)