Cell Proliferation in the Piriform Cortex of Rats with Motor Cortex Ablation Treated with Growth Hormone and Rehabilitation |
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Authors: | Margarita Heredia Virginia Snchez-Robledo Ins Gmez Jos María Criado Antonio de la Fuente Jesús Devesa Pablo Devesa Adelaida Snchez Riolobos |
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Affiliation: | 1.Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Neurosciences of Castilla and León (INCyL), University of Salamanca, Avenida Alfonso X El Sabio s/n, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (V.S.-R.); (I.G.); (J.M.C.); (A.d.l.F.); (A.S.R.);2.Scientific Direction, Medical Center Foltra, Travesía de Montouto 24, 15894 Teo, Spain;3.Coordination and Research, School Medicine, Universidad del Valle, Cochabamba 1408, Bolivia; |
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Abstract: | Traumatic brain injury represents one of the main health problems in developed countries. Growth hormone (GH) and rehabilitation have been claimed to significantly contribute to the recovery of lost motor function after acquired brain injury, but the mechanisms by which this occurs are not well understood. In this work, we have investigated cell proliferation in the piriform cortex (PC) of adult rats with ablation of the frontal motor cortex treated with GH and rehabilitation, in order to evaluate if this region of the brain, related to the sense of smell, could be involved in benefits of GH treatment. Male rats were either ablated the frontal motor cortex in the dominant hemisphere or sham-operated and treated with GH or vehicle at 35 days post-injury (dpi) for five days. At 36 dpi, all rats received daily injections of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) for four days. We assessed motor function through the paw-reaching-for-food task. GH treatment and rehabilitation at 35 dpi significantly improved the motor deficit caused by the injury and promoted an increase of cell proliferation in the PC ipsilateral to the injury, which could be involved in the improvement observed. Cortical ablation promoted a greater number of BrdU+ cells in the piriform cortex that was maintained long-term, which could be involved in the compensatory mechanisms of the brain after injury. |
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Keywords: | motor ablation growth hormone rehabilitation cell proliferation piriform cortex brain injury |
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