Docosahexaenoic acid reduces cerebral damage and ameliorates long-term cognitive impairments caused by neonatal hypoxia-ischemia in rats
Ikusi/ Ireki
Data
2011-10-29Egilea
Arteaga Cabeza, Olatz
Revuelta Aramberri, Miren
Martínez Millán, Luis
Hilario Rodríguez, Enrique
Álvarez Díaz, Antonia Ángeles
Molecular Neurobiology 54 : 7137-7155 (2017)
Laburpena
As the interest in the neuroprotective possibilities
of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) for brain injury has grown in the recent years, we aimed to investigate the long-term effects of this fatty acid in an experimental model of perinatal hypoxiaischemia in rats. To this end, motor activity, aspects of learning, and memory function and anxiety, as well as corticofugal connections visualized by using tracer injections, were evaluated at adulthood. We found that in the hours immediately
following the insult, DHA maintained mitochondrial
inner membrane integrity and transmembrane potential, as well as the integrity of synaptic processes. Seven days later, morphological damage at the level of the middle hippocampus was reduced, since neurons and myelin were preserved and the astroglial reactive response and microglial activation were
seen to be diminished. At adulthood, the behavioral tests revealed that treated animals presented better long-termworking memory and less anxiety than non-treated hypoxic–ischemic animals, while no difference was found in the spontaneous locomotor activity. Interestingly, hypoxic–ischemic injury
caused alterations in the anterograde corticofugal neuronal connections which were not so evident in rats treated with DHA. Thus, our results indicate that DHA treatment can lead to long-lasting neuroprotective effects in this experimental model of neonatal hypoxia–ischemic brain injury, not only by mitigating axonal changes but also by enhancing cognitive
performance at adulthood.